Single Therapist

I have a truly wonderful friend, who is a licensed psychologist and a neuropsychologist and who has several professional specialties, one of which is interviewing inmates and then writing forensic reports for these incarcerated felons. She spends more time visiting high security prisons than anybody I know, but truly enjoys the work and has fascinating stories to tell of what it's like in prison. My friend is beautiful, intellligent, funny, generous, fascinating and sexy. She's also a buddhist, Italian born ("Roma!")....and she's single and has been for a long time. I look at her and think that it's nothing short of a crime that she's SO single. My spouse and I are currently having work done on our home, and have a fabulous woman carpenter doing the work for us. While I was busy in my study, the carpenter was in and out, painting closets, caulking holes, plastering, painting and generally beautifying our house. I told her about my friend, and asked if she had any ideas for a blind date for my friend? After chatting for a few minutes, the carpenter asked what my friend did for a living. "She's a psychologist," I replied. "Ah, well," said the carpenter, "that's your problem right there! People shy away from being involved with them! Intrigued, I asked her why. "Everybody thinks they're crazy!" said the carpenter with great conviction. No further information was forthcoming from the carpenter. But her reply has intrigued me. I can see why it would be challenging to be romantically partnered with a therapist. If the rest of them are anything like me, I just can't seem to shut off my brain. Even if I'm not saying therapist kinds of things, I'm definitely thinking them. I can't be the only therapist who has to constantly stop him or herself from jumping in with an annoyingly empathic or supposedly insightful comment. I do censor myself, I promise. But it's a hard habit to break.

I have several friends (and clients) who are single and they tell horror stories of what they go through in their search for their mates. Of course, to off-set that, I have countless friends (and clients) who are in relationships that give them grief and misery and who question their participation in coupledom almost daily.

But back to why it's scary to be in a relationship with a therapist.

I think this deserves a Top Ten List. Anybody care to help me compile one? I’ll get things started.

10. We over-analyze everything.

Any takers for #9?