My T's boundaries are VERY tight...so I'm quite certain that she does not accept many gifts. However...when I first started seeing her. I was very grateful that anyone would see me. I was in a bit of a bind, abandoned in a hospital by my previous T. I could not get out of the hospital without a T...and could not get one while I was in the hospital. Now THAT is a frustrating circumstance. I was in for 3 months...and it sucked. My insurance ran out and they came to me and asked me if I knew I was using my lifetime medicare days? Well...no...I didn't know that...how could I? I then demanded release, which I know what hard on my psychiatrist. But he let me go...as long as I agreed to come back to the hospital to sleep at night. At least it freed up my days to interview T's.
So...back to topic...after I had been seeing my T for some time. I felt inclined to give her a card to thank her is some way. I also gave her a bugs bunny blanket that said "What's up doc?" The blanket was actually for me to use...so not so much a gift as a necessity.
I thought the blanket was funny...I don't think she did. She glares at me when I enter the office and say: "What's up doc?" But I just laugh at her and tell her not to be so uptight. She has the degree...why not appreciate it. Maybe she views my remark as condescending. LOL weirdo.
But...she loved the card and the little shell that accompanied it. Ever since...she has had that card taped to her wall at eye level in front of her desk...and the shell resides on her bookcase. It's been there for at least 15 years. So there is some meaning for her in those small gifts. I have no idea what I wrote in the card...maybe I should ask to see it?
Anyway...that is the extent of my gift giving to her. OH...I did give her a little night lite when her daughter was born...but she did ask me why I felt compelled to do that...so I got the idea that it was not really appropriate and crossed her boundary.
I don't see that she really has many gift type items in her office so believe that it is her general policy to refuse them.
She did give me one once, when I entered a long term chemo treatment for HCV. It's a little stuffy of a fish. She called it my Hep Sea buddy.
I suppose she felt I might need a transitional object since I would be missing some of my sessions. I still have it...and it now has friends...I added a few. I have given her a few of my drawings that she seemed to resonate with. I'm sure they are in my file box. (I'm sure my file must fill an entire box by now.) LOL... And I have given her alot of my written work but don't think that really counts as a gift. (It's not very pleasant.)
So in summary...I would say an occasional gift is usually pretty well received. I would just say don't do it very often. That is when it becomes a problem.
SD