Do not google your therapist. I repeat: Do not google your therapist! Especially when you totally connect with him and don’t want to lose that level of comfort that you quite possibly have never had.
Last night I was talking to a friend about therapy and she asked me a question about him. After hanging up I started thinking that I don’t know anything about this man. I never questioned where he went to school, how long he’d “been in business”, nothing. I just picked him from a list of names of doctors within a 10 mile radius of my home and office from the provider directory. This was definitely not an educated decision. I did consciously pick a man for 2 reasons: 1) The nurse practitioner at the ob/gyn told me that I should choose a man should M agree to counseling in the future and b) quite frankly it was my way of facing my fear of men.
So I googled him. Damn it. Why did I have to go and do that?
I would have never even entertained the idea of talking to this man if I’d known his background:
1. Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ohio State University
2. Master’s degree in Human Development from Vanderbilt University
3. Master’s degree in Psychology from Ohio State University
4. Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology – Ohio State
5. Played for the Falcons
Did you see #5? That’s all I’m talking about. HUGE intimidation factor there. Why? Insecurity, my dear bloggers. I would have immediately feared the man based on that simple item on his resume’. I’m so glad I didn’t. I see how utterly ridiculous it all is now that I just felt it, but I honestly never would have stepped foot in that office.
Now I wonder why I’m so quick to judge people in terms of how mean I think they will be to me. Good soul! How could anything be worse! It’s almost like there’s a sliding scale in my head. “Hmmm…former football player, super smart…ding ding! Total asshole! 10! Abort mission! I repeat: abort mission!!!” That’s no way to live.
