Discussion Does this guy's bio make him sound like a dick or... what? Sanity check

[curiouscvnt]

i quote-- and think twice about exposing the name, please. i decided to leave in verbatim:

"Psychiatry is an intellectually stimulating career in which you can assist people in achieving their personal best. After collecting your initial history, I will provide you with a diagnostic understanding of your situation, taking into account both biological and environmental contributing factors. Specific treatment recommendations will provide you with a plan to improve your quality of life. When there are multiple effective treatment options available, I let patients participate in the decision-making process by educating them about acceptable available choices. My overall goal is to help you feel better as soon as possible. In my spare time, I enjoy skiing, playing the piano and guitar and watching the Chargers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. I also enjoy spending time with my family."

i find that reading this already makes me feel condescended to. For someone who is purportedly helping another adult individual improve their quality of life, the author already seems to have a rather poor perspective on that individual's ability to communicate as an equal with them. To me there is something utterly repulsive and terrifying about the deliberate inequality of such a dynamic (in this case, Western medicine psychotherapy in the United States). What do you think?

i am curious to know whether someone else really disagrees / what they might think of me for saying that i feel this way. Am i just really not recovered at all, according to whatever definition of 'recovered' you use?

 

[pauly369]

He sounds like a typical Narcissist, thereby he is actually in need of therapy himself.

 

[curiouscvnt]

like my kink for domination and denigration is currently satisfied otherwise; i am looking for someone to help me be less of an asshole to myself and others by way of emotional dysfunction/loneliness.

 

[CatLvr]

Like you, his unwillingness to let the patient participate in the development of their treatment plan bugs me. Another thing that raised an eyebrow for me was the importance (or actually the lack thereof) of his family to him. The way he threw them in as an afterthought makes me wonder if he even knows his kids' names?? (That's assuming he has any, of course.)

 

[baberty]

He sounds like the kind of guy who likes the sound of his own voice WAAAY too much...

 

[EvisceratedJester]

He sounds like he has his head stuck far up his own ass, tbh. Where did you find this bio? It's written in a way that sounds odd and incredibly off-putting. It sounds kind of cold.

 

[TurboCharcha]

Straight from LinkedIn

 

[Halfhourdays]

He's this guy's therapist.

 

[Average Joe]

I'm going to be the black sheep here but I don't see anything wrong with that paragraph. I suppose it's just our different viewpoints and how we interpret things, which is harder through text. I find it easier to tell if someone is genuine when meeting them face to face.

Although it does read as though the person asked ChatGPT to make a job description for a therapist.

Edit: Just wanted to add that you mentioned a sanity check in your title, I'd say your of sane mind. Some people just don't mix, I could be wrong and the guy could be a total dick! Or the message could just be misunderstood. Anyways, hope you're doing okay <3

 

[untraveler]

I also don't see much wrong with it. It maybe looks like an ad and professional bio. Which I guess makes sense looking for clients here. I see it as if they want to help and offer an option. Is it a good option? I don't know. Maybe for some people it could be. And if so, then it might be worth it. It's ok if you don't like it or don't know what you think of it.

 

[Grav]

It reads like a resume and if on linkedin that makes sense. Its generic enough to spell out what he does and gives some blah personal stuff. I wouldn't make too much out of it and decide based on face to face interaction.

 

[curiouscvnt]

yea. It's definitely sterile and I'm extrapolating a bit based on other opinions / perspectives I've had.

I'm going to be the black sheep here but I don't see anything wrong with that paragraph. I suppose it's just our different viewpoints and how we interpret things, which is harder through text. I find it easier to tell if someone is genuine when meeting them face to face.

Although it does read as though the person asked ChatGPT to make a job description for a therapist.

Edit: Just wanted to add that you mentioned a sanity check in your title, I'd say your of sane mind. Some people just don't mix, I could be wrong and the guy could be a total dick! Or the message could just be misunderstood. Anyways, hope you're doing okay <3

I also don't see much wrong with it. It maybe looks like an ad and professional bio. Which I guess makes sense looking for clients here. I see it as if they want to help and offer an option. Is it a good option? I don't know. Maybe for some people it could be. And if so, then it might be worth it. It's ok if you don't like it or don't know what you think of it.

yes; the bio itself isn't explicitly negative. I was trying to critique a broader paradigm in psychotherapy -- the inequality and sterility of client/therapist dynamics. His bio is exemplary of a formulaic, perhaps trite, approach to psychotherapy. It might work for some poeple, but I've been on the receiving end of that kind of therapy and it hasn't done me any good because of the lack of nuance and understanding / curiosity / willingness to entertain ideas or perspectives about life very different ones's own (from the therapist). I felt, from reading this bio, that this psychologist does not typically try to meet clients where they're at; he listens only to figure out how to apply his formula to his subject/client.

I also don't see much wrong with it. It maybe looks like an ad and professional bio. Which I guess makes sense looking for clients here. I see it as if they want to help and offer an option. Is it a good option? I don't know. Maybe for some people it could be. And if so, then it might be worth it. It's ok if you don't like it or don't know what you think of it.

yes; the bio itself isn't explicitly negative. I was trying to critique a broader paradigm in psychotherapy -- the inequality and sterility of client/therapist dynamics. His bio is exemplary of a formulaic, perhaps trite, approach to psychotherapy. It might work for some poeple, but I've been on the receiving end of that kind of therapy and it hasn't done me any good because of the lack of nuance and understanding / curiosity / willingness to entertain ideas or perspectives about life very different ones's own (from the therapist). I felt, from reading this bio, that this psychologist does not typically try to meet clients where they're at; he listens only to figure out how to apply his formula to his subject/client.