Monday, June 25, 2007

It's fictitious

At the top of this blog, under EveryoneNeedsTherapy, it says,

This social work blog reflects my multi-disciplinary scholarship, academic degrees, and all kinds of letters after my name that make me feel big. Patients wanted more feedback, but it's morphed, so you get how I cope, too. If you're in a warm, sunny climate, I'd consider guest lecturing at your institution, topic your choice. The blog is not to diagnose, treat, or replace legal or medical advice from a licensed professional. All references to people, named or otherwise are entirely fictional.
Or should that be, entirely fictitious. Any English majors out there? I'm reminding readers right now that indeed, even if you think that a presentation on this blog brings to mind situations or people that you know, they're all entirely made up. Or they're about me. Or they're about me making me up.

You know, occasionally I get tagged for memes, these Tell us 5 reasons you blog. . .or something else, Or Name 10 things that people don't know about you. . .or Name 100 things. . .

I've resisted them most of the time, mainly because I don't feel like it or don't have time, really. I have to be in the mood to blog and when I do it's because I have something that I want to say, something to teach, even if it's by metaphor or via a story about me.

I'm going to share something now, however. Sharing about self for a therapy doc is very, very weird. It's not something that we do easily, and we're VERY protective about sharing things about other people, too.

So just a reminder, the stuff you read in EveryoneNeedsTherapy is pure fiction. Or is that, purely fictitious. Whatever it is, take it as a learning experience, a creative learning experience.

therapydoc

7 comments:

have popcorn will lurk said...

except the part about you being a therapist, right? ;)

therapydoc said...

Wouldn't that be something, faking that.

Yeah, I'm a therapist.

Aldana said...

There's no empath daughter? no grandkids talking to you on the phone?. Sorry! I'm confused here.

therapydoc said...

There is, there is. It's the case material I make up, change names, genders, places, etc.

Sorry for the confusion.

Aldana said...

Ah! thanks for the clarification!

isabella mori said...

well, as someone in the same "blog shoes", so to say, i think i know what you're talking about.

this whole question of what is fictitious and what is "real" is quite fascinating. when i make up a story about a client, i still need to make sure that it is not a complete fairy tale. e.g. i don't work with couples so obviously i can't tell stories about marriage counselling - that would be an outright lie.

on the other hand, obviously i can't say, "oh, i can't lie, so i must say that i've worked with john smith on his work around dealing with his mother."

striking the right balance - where i illustrate my experience while making sure that the details are so scrambled up that no-one could ever be identified is always an interesting challenge.

therapydoc said...

Yes, especially since so many people have exactly the same story. That's what's so amazing. The caveat, this is not about you, hardly works when it all looks so similar.

  Bring them home, the Homeland Concert There's not much to say. Wait, I take it back. There's SO much to say it is too much. There ...