What Kind Of Client Are You?

[Sandstone]

I found this description of different types of client, from a therapists viewpoint. It made me feel much better about myself and my various attempts at therapy. Contrary to a couple of comments, I love the way Shapiro talks about her clients, and her recognition of them as both people in need and types


http://traumatherapy.typepad.com/trauma_attachment_therapy/2007/07/long-term-clien.html

I wanted to be what she call a Three-session wonder - who processes it all, quickly and leaves, grateful. But I suspect I'm Horrible attachment, relatively light trauma.

Do you recognise yourself in any of these categories

 

[Born to Run]

Thank you for posting this link to these interesting descriptions. I enjoyed reading them, and did recognize myself as the Big 'T' trauma client; worst case :sour:

 

[rightkindofme]

Severe dissociation with awful attachment and horrible trauma:

Yup, that's me.

 

[desiderata310]

Severe dissociation with awful attachment and horrible trauma

 

[VioletButterfly]

Hmmm, slapping another label on myself. I think somewhere between the Big "T" and SD w/ AA & HT. It kind of depressed me to read the descriptions as I've been working on this for so long and still seem to be in the same spot. I thought I'd gotten better. Guess I might need to add "denial" to my list of issues and reconsider where're I'm at in real-time. VB

 

[Hope4Now]

I went to therapy as a questioner. I thought.
I can now see myself in the last category...severe dissociation, etc. but part of me is still convinced I can be a three-session wonder :laugh:

 

[zeckster81]

• I've been with Judd for 5.5 years. Poor man. LOL! He has to put up with me.
• Severe dissociation with awful attachment and horrible trauma: Settle in for the long haul. You and the therapy are both penicillin and insulin. It may take months or years to make a good, trusted attachment relationship. It may take just about the same years to stabilize your client. Then you can tackle the trauma with some good penicillin (EMDR, Life Span Integration, Brainspotting, etc.) And tackle more trauma, and more trauma, and more. Then you can help her integrate all the changes. It's 10 years later. She's in a good relationship; has a better job; can have sex; and finally can say, "How do I know if I'm done?" She's making her own insulin. She may come back for another dose of penicillin. Maybe more than once. But you did your job.

 

[Sandstone]

I've been working on this for so long and still seem to be in the same spot. I thought I'd gotten better.

The very long time scales she suggests made me feel better about that. And somewhere I read about a spiral of healing, so that when we think we are circling back to where we started, we are actually another layer deeper ( or another layer up, depending on how you see it)

I went to therapy as a questioner. I thought.
I can now see myself in the last category...severe dissociation, etc

I can identify with the discovery that it's much more complicated than I ever thought

 

[Samantha_38]

I think I'm somewhere between the Big "T" one and the Severe dissociation one....some parts of both seem to fit me. I guess I'm stuck in therapy for awhile...but I guess I already knew this. :meh:

 

[Sandstone]

I find myself wondering if therapists should take on new clients in the last ten years of their working lives

 

[Samantha_38]

Ha ha @stenni yeah...especially trauma therapists

 

[Deleted member 28942]

The next developmental step client but with very dysfunctional family and attachment issues. My estimation is 2-3 years of therapy.