quote:

Have you ever taken something from your therapist's office and then fessed up, after the fact?

Hmm, not so far. But I bet there is an interesting story behind this.

i've taken more toilet paper from her bathroom then i needed to blow my nose with, for on the way home if i need some more, and more just for later! and i didn't feel too guilty. to be honest i tend to do this more before a break... because i have nothing else... is this pathetic.. probably....

i'm sure your T wouldn't be upset. its not like you took something of value to sell off for a profit! or did you ?

puppet

Hmm...interesting question...
No, I haven't taken anything from my former T's office nor my new T's office.

I will admit to this though....I have been obsessed with looking at my former T's wide open Facebook page. I even know what one of her sons is doing and what he looks like. I look at T's FB photos for comfort and to remind me that she is still around. I'm still trying to remain connected to her in some way. Every once in a while I will feel guilty that I'm virtually intruding into her private world. Then again I figure she shouldn't have it for the public to view, if she doesn't want clients or former clients looking at it. She's pretty open about self-disclosure, so basically things on her FB page she would tell me about in sessions anyway.
I don't see her anymore though.

I'm curious to see if others do take stuff from their T's office.

I have never taken anything T didn't give me to take, and what he has given me has been a couple of notes on post-its, or letting me borrow something I gave him during a trip.

I am more a person to leave myself in T's office (i.e. the sock animals or sculpture I made him) than the type to take him with me. I'd only want to take something he freely offered, otherwise I don't think I'd get much out of it.

Just a picture.
As in, I used my phone to snap a picture of Ts office.
It was right before a break, and I wanted to take the office home with me.

I haven't fessed up to it, but when I do, I don't think T will care much about it- we're all about finding ways for me to "take Ts office" home with me! I mean, I carried the business card T gave me after my first session around for nearly a year! We smile at that now

Hey ya'll! I have not taken anything from his office...although I have taken a picture of the office with my cell phone.

I just wondered if anyone had done that I know sometimes it can be tempting but I don't think it is worth losing trust over

Thanks for the replies! T.

Now that I think about it, and I guess this is weird, I have been LEAVING things at my Ts office. In the waiting room. I always eat peppermint life savers and he knows that ("do you buy those by the case?"), so I have occassionally "accidentally" dropped one out in the waiting room at various times because I think he told me that he is the one who cleans out there.

Also lately I have been leaving post-it notes with short poems on them out in the waiting room. One note I left stuck to the table under the magazines and the other poem note I left sort of sticking out of a copy of Oprah.

OK, this sounds weirder than I thought it would. Anybody else leave markers of themselves? Does this mean I am an egomaniac or something?

I don't know if he will catch on to the poem notes. He shares the waiting room with a couple other offices, so it could be anyone's client doing it. On the other hand, I am an English teacher, and that's a bit of a giveaway.

It has never crossed my mind to take something from my Ts office. She has a basket of Werther's at the door which I am allowed to help myself to. I usually do manage to leave a wad of used tissue in her trashcan.

When I first started therapy eight years ago, my T handed me a bottle of water and for some reason I didn't open it. I left with it and felt so guilty that I left with a bottle of water that I didn't drink that I drove around the block several times trying to figure out if I should go back inside and return it!
Quell, your post made me laugh. I have never tried leaving bits of myself but it's a cute idea.

deeplyrooted

The poems are a neat idea! I like that.

Two of my animals that I made T live in the office close by (the sock monkey, and the glove panda) and Morse the Horse lives in his office that is farther away, as does my little figurine of the shepherd cradling a sheep. It feels kind of silly sometimes, seeing them displayed in his offices. In fact, sometimes it made me want to steal them and throw them away, because it feels like he values them TOO much. Oh, he also had a binder I've had since high school of all the poems we wrote back then. He used to carry it with him, in case we wanted to discuss them. We did a few times, but after feeling like he didn't "get" a lot of what was trying to be shared in them, we haven't tried for about a year, so I hope he hasn't lost it! It would be embarrassing to think of a hundred plus pages of bad high school poetry floating around in the world somewhere!

Hi,
I have never taken anything, but I have been thinking all week I would like to leave something.
last week in T's clinic office there was a card and a china rabbit on her desk, I assume someone had given either for Easter or because she is leaving.I wondered at the time how she was about accepting a small gift. My thought was that knowing her she would appreciate it and accept gratefully provided it was small.
When I went this week for he first time to her private office I noticed the rabbit on the shelf. I was pleased because I think it showed she cares for her patients.
But I have been thinking a lot recently, is it ok for example to get a small gift for the baby she is expecting, but I also like the idea of something small which like this rabbit she would keep in her office. I think I want her to have a reminder of me in between sessions.
Still trying to decide, but am looking out for something appropriate!

That's funny. Last week I was thinking about secretly taking a cutting of the potted plant in her waiting room to take home and plant! Not to remind me of her or anything, just because I like plants and there was plenty of this plant trailing all the way onto the floor that nobody would have even noticed. But then I forgot, lol.

T has got something I made her sitting on her desk already. At least she says it's there, but I haven't ever actually checked...

BLT,


I'll do a happy dance if you tell us you asked your T to take a cutting off that plant! I do not have a green thumb but would love to have something tangible like that growing in my kitchen.

DR

Not exactly the same, but the office plant reminded me. I asked my T to collect some local tree seeds from her place and I will grow the trees and when they are big enough, then plant them on my property. Hopefully quite a few grow and I can go and sit among them for years and years and hopefully be at peace and be with my T in spirit.

Just came from T, she said I have got a present for you and she gave me a pen.

It has her name,office number and e-mail address printed on the side. It is so nice that I have something from T that I can carry with me all the time without anyone thinking it strange. I had been thinking of asking if she had a business card, but this is much nicer and I did not have to ask!

I cheeky thought also occured that if she gives her clinets a pen with her phone number and e-mail adress on it she can't mind if they use them to contact her!!

Silly little thing, but it made my day!!

Totally stole a cutting from the houseplant in her waiting room this week. Muahahahahaha!

quote:

Just came from T, she said I have got a present for you and she gave me a pen.

Hi Starlight... how wonderful that you now have this great transitional object from T. I had to smile when I read this because after about 2 months of seeing my T he handed me his pen (that he was using) and told me to keep it. I still carry that pen in my purse everywhere I go and if I have a particularly difficult meeting to attend at work I use the pen to take notes or just hold in my hand.

A few weeks later he told me about one client he gave a pen to who threw it away the minute she left his office. She told him it was too scary to have it in her possession. He said that she was not ready or able to form an attachment and that being close was frightening to this client. I told him I LOVED the pen and it was comforting not scary at all. He said that was a good sign of health and my potential to have a solid attachment to him.

He has since given me a personal possession of his... a beautiful small pewter dragon which has special meaning to our relationship. He had bought it for himself 20 years ago. To me it is priceless to have this small part of him.

Hey BG... definitely take the rock. I really like your T.

Cat... you are really progressing in your T relationship. It's lovely to see.

BLT... hope your cutting thrives and grows just like you.

Hugs
TN