Resurrection After Rape Community Group
Discussion, question-and-answer, general social support, and journal processing for progress-oriented rape survivors. No crisis, no damaging or triggering conflicts--this is for individuals who want to contribute to collective, cooperative action toward the goal of making actual PROGRESS through rape trauma. Much of this work is based on the book "Resurrection After...
Taking off your shoes means so much more than even taking off your coat. You are so much more vulnerable when you take off your shoes - you cannot get away quickly; it is a sign of humility and worship (like when you take off your shoes to go into a place of worship); it is a sign of vulnerability; it is a sign you feel comfortable (which clearly any fish in their right mind would realise that you are not on your first appointment).
But, I would encourage you not to give up looking if fishing is what you feel you need right now. There are some really good fish swimming in the therapy sea - and I think it is fine to interview them on the phone before you darken their door, just write a list of questions you want to ask (including 'do you have any weird rules about your fish bowl?').
Brit: love that part about "weird rules about your fish bowl." Quote of the year so far!
Unfurling: love that part about "weird rules about your fish bowl." Quote of the year so far!
That's amazingly poor form for a therapist.
MINIMALLY if you have weird rules for your fishbowl, you should let people know ahead!
The only POSSIBLE explanation I can think of is that she is of Asian background and its culturally normal for some people to expect outside shoes be worn outside, and inside shoes be worn inside.
But if that's the case, in my experience, people often have a basket of generic slippers available.
She's TOTALLY not worthy of you or your experience.
Your husband’s right; it’s doubtful she would be of much help anyway. People like this qua… therapist, truly make me PO’d. The absence of proper information about where to go, what odd rules she has, her abrupt termination of something that didn’t even have a chance to begin, shows, among other things, she can only see the world from her own perspective. I wonder where she was when empathy was being distributed as a trait. Cleaning her fishbowl most likely.
You’re by no means stupid or a freak. You didn’t lose your chance at a therapist; she lost her chance at helping an amazing person. She’s responsible for the mess, not you.
Please don’t give up looking for a proper therapist because of this heartless and confusing medusa.
Dire isn't the word for it!
I think you had a lucky escape there.
There are good fish out there, please keep looking.
That night I sent the therapist an email to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything. She called me the next day and left me a voice mail saying she got my email and would like to talk since it was "uncomfortable and unfortunate what happened."
We connected by phone and I explained my side of things - and I realized that in my notes about the session when I first made the appoint (a month ago) I realized she had said go upstairs. I guess I wasn't thinking about that when I was trying to get to the right building. So I took ownership of that piece. I then explained the whole paperwork thing and how it would give me a chance to get acclimated to the room since time had already started. She said that made sense but was on autopilot at that time and paper work gets done in the waiting room.
Then when it came to the shoe thing I explained about how I don't even take shoes off in my own house. I always want something on my feet. She clarified that the shoes off was a year round policy, not just a winter boots thing. She didn't want any shoes on her carpet at all period. She said I was the first one to have a problem with it and it surprised her. She was happy that we could talk through what happened and I told her that what she needed to be ok in her office and what I needed to feel ok aren't the same things and right now would make it difficult to work together.
I know there are good therapists out there. I've worked with some before. Although this was frustrating to go through, I think in the end it was a good thing. I saw that I could speak up for my needs and it allowed me to think about why having my shoes on or off was important.
I'm annoyed that you felt you had to explain why you wouldnt want to remove your shoes and that she felt it was necessary to say "no-one else had a problem with it" like you are somehow a freak for not wanting to participate in her barefooted fishing experiment.
As you said, this was an opportunity for you to speak up for your needs; I'm glad for you. I'm glad that you came to see this experience as a learning one, especially when you could have been angry, put her down, judged her, judged yourself, given up totally on therapy, etc., etc., there were a host of other choices you could have made.
I really heard you about feeling "stupid" because I would have felt the same way. It makes me wonder why I go to that place of "what's wrong with me that I don't already know what's expected...even in new situations.
For me, the way you've chosen to frame this overall experience as a learning experience is healing. You've owned what is yours and put the rest where it belongs.
And it gave you the opportunity to learn why having your shoes on or off is important to you. Another piece of information about you. I say hooray for you.
SuzA
I wouldn't want to be in her fish bowl, as I think she would want her clients to conform to her views, and I've never heard of a fish who's worried more about the carpet than helping the clients.
I am glad that you were able to express your needs to her, but you shouldn't have to explain why you didn't want to take off your shoes the very first meeting. That's opening up your insecurities before you even have a chance to sit down and decide how much you can tell her. If she's that worried about her carpet, she's definitely not worth your time and effort.
I hope you're able to find a fish who you can have a good working relationship with, and if the fish bowl is a messy, as long as it's within your comfort zone, don't worry too much. (One of my things is to notice everything about my fish's bowl, and the little things he's forgotten to clean, like the jar of rocks, makes it all the more interesting and creates a good environment for me to talk about what's really on my mind, go figure).
You're not stupid, not a freak, and there's nothing wrong with you. You do what you need to in order to remain grounded and present, and if shoes are what it takes, then that's what you do.
As for the pseudo-fish, she might need a fish herself.
I hope you don't mind if I quote you & reply that way?
"That whole experience made me feel so stupid. I guess it's really easy for people to just take their shoes off and I"m the freak who doesn't want to and lost her chance at a therapist because of it."
-> No! I would have felt the same way as you, but it's completely RIDICULOUS to expect everyone to take their shoes off just to get into your office. It's even more ridiculous not to TELL people things like that ahead of time.
"My husband says that if she was so stressed about my shoes she probably wouldn't be much help anyway."
-> YES! She lost her chance to meet YOU. I think it's awesome you were able to explain yourself.
YAY!!!
I'm really glad you had a positive experience contacting her afterwards.
Nicely done!
Totally agreed. And I love the lines about "neat freak in a fish bowl" and "weird rules for her fish bowl".
I'm so glad you spoke up for yourself and have found something positive to take out of this experience.
Keep looking - there are really good fish out there. You deserve more from life than to lose yourself in work to hide from pain.