to ask if you know any therapists personally?

[MissionItsPossible]

Do you find them generally stressy/panicky/worrying people? Massive stereotype, I know but I work in a job where I have to deal with people who do different types of courses, all types, but 9 times out of 10 when I have someone crying to me or panicking or getting generally stressed out and dramatic over the tiniest things they turn out to be doing something like Therapeutic Counselling or Child Therapy or along the lines of that. Completely understandable (to me) that training like that could make people all of those things but just wondering if anyone else thinks the same.

On a side note, the nastiest people tend to be training as yoga teachers (not nearly as prominent as the above example though).

I do, and she is the most patient and calm person I know.

Yes. Psychotherapist and the worst possible person for it. Emotionally abusive, narcissistic and sociopathic. My father.

I do (I did an MA in a field of psychotherapy before retraining, so most of my classmates went on to practice). Calm, thoughtful and good-humoured generally.

Yes, two or three. I fell out with one on Facebook because she was being a precious twat, but the others I know are lovely people.

I know probably a dozen, and not one is particularly stressy or panicky.

Some years ago I managed a branch of a national counselling organisation. I have never, ever worked in such a toxic environment. With few exceptions the counsellors acted like dysfunctional children. They had no sense of organisational need but only of their own wants and needs, however unreasonable. When thwarted they raged and tantrummed like toddlers. On the other hand, I now work in a different organisation and the counsellors are the most caring and balanced bunch of people you could wish to meet.

At uni, I had to share a flat with a couple of student psychologists - total basket cases, and fond of making ill informed diagnoses of people they didn't know well, then judging them for it. Pretty unpleasant.

4 of the calmest people I know.

Quite a few due to the nature of my work, generally calm, insightful, not keen to dole out advice out of work time, a couple are quite extrovert and funny. Just because someone is doing an evening course and thinks they're an expert doesn't mean they'll make it in the field. I did CBT qualifications a while back to add to my professional role (not a counsellor) and was surprised by how many people on the course seemed to need it the most or think they were experts because they'd been in therapy for twenty years but still displayed a lot of the behaviours you describe, most of them dropped out, but I could imagine them losing it on Mumsnet about a variety of things!

On a side note about your yoga teachers, I know a Buddhist vegan who's incredibly racist, how does that work?? (Family no association by choice)

Heard of a friend's housemate who is a relationship therapist.

Argues non-stop with her husband apparently.

Most therapists go into it because they recognise a need in themselves.

I'd rather save the money and buy great self-help books like Susan Forward and Melanie Beattie.... (toxic families/co-dependency).

Some years ago I managed a branch of a national counselling organisation. I have never, ever worked in such a toxic environment. With few exceptions the counsellors acted like dysfunctional children. They had no sense of organisational need but only of their own wants and needs, however unreasonable. When thwarted they raged and tantrummed like toddlers.

That's exactly how I'd describe the department that DH taught at in his last school. The teachers were absolutely shockingly childishly behaved. The HOD - instead of teaching her lessons - would go and hide!

I'm one, have one in the family and obviously trained with a few. A fair spectrum of types of people I think.

I know a relationship counsellor who has had a string of disastrous relationships, affairs etc. She's settled now though, she's totally hilarious and fun.

I know a few counsellors. Like most of the population they are individual. One is stressy.

I do however know two yoga teachers & I don’t like either of them.

Most of the highly qualified ones are fine. It’s the ones who have a whole host of their own problems and then decide to go on to do a low level short course in counselling and then set themselves up as counsellors who are the worst. Generally speaking.
I’ve heard of some shocking stories .

Haha. My ex is a yoga teacher. Not saying any more...

I know a lovely art therapist... But I also briefly lived with a woman who offer "rebirthing breathwork therapy" () and she was ironically a source of exceptionally negative energy and the least relaxed person I've ever met. And a massive bitch.

I knew a rebirther - mad as a box of frogs. But also lovely.

Split responses.. maybe it's just my constant run in of bad luck with people on these courses

Interesting to the poster/s that mentioned the toddler styled tantrums. Have never thought about it in that way but now seeing it mentioned, yes, they did display a lot of that and a "but why"? type of whining.

I know two. One is the most calm and reasonable person you could imagine. One is completely emotionally incontinent and hugely melodramatic.

Yes, I know a few.

Some of them are as you describe and most of them have quite serious mental health problems. I think most people would have to some kind of direct or indirect, past or present experience with a mental health condition to want to spend all day talking to other people who have it.

Having said that, the people I am talking about are people I met because of their problems, not because of their career. So I know a very biased sample.

The therapist I was seeing most recently for anorexia had a bmi of approximately 18 I would say. Could have been totally natural of course but it did make it harder for me to believe everything she was trying to teach me. I've had other therapists who I don't think have good relationships with food either. But I do think eating disorder professionals probably have one of the highest rates of past/present suffering - it's a way of recovering while still getting to obsess about food and remain immersed in 'the ED world' , I suppose!

My bff is one
She’s great, very calm but brilliant sense of humour

I’m sure just as in any line of work there are nice people and nasty people.

However I know a psychologist, a ps and a sex therapist personally and they are the very last people I’d want to seek advice from.

The psychologist is particularly annoying in that she is quite overtly analysing every statement you make and is quite smug. She may well be an excellent therapist of course.

I’m a psychologist, so have known and worked closely with many psychologists, and various species of psychotherapist and a few psychiatrists. I’d say there is as wide a spectrum of ‘type’ as any other profession, although I’m struck by how many of us tend towards introversion. Not on the whole panicky, and generally pretty kind and stable. There’s an small but irritating minority ( almost invariably men) who tend towards professional arrogance, oneupmanship and a lack of humility. I hope they don’t treat their clients or friends and family in that way.