I Had The Same Name as My Therapist and That Was Not a Good Thing

Reflections on two therapy visits 30 years apart

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Decades ago, when I was attending UC Berkeley, I signed up for counseling support from anyone in the University Health Services group. I can’t remember the reason I was in such distress (most likely the painful but unsurprising mix of panic about grades, friends, jobs, and boys). I only remember two things from that visit. The main memory is of the sinking feeling that took over when they assigned me to a therapist with my same name. Already in a state of extreme upset, I recall falling even lower when I was ushered into a room by a woman who told me her name was also Lisa.

My heart sank because all the people named Lisa that I have ever met were born between 1965 and 1975. This meant she was a contemporary, and I didn’t want that.

Lisa was a very popular name when Lisa Marie Presley was in the news, and in grade school, there were so many of us that we had to use our last initials on every assignment. All of this is relevant because as soon as I hear the name “Lisa” I know her age and life stage. It seems to me that there are no “new” Lisa’s. It is a name like Edna — when you hear it you automatically associate it with a certain age. That day in the 90s I wanted an Edna- someone further along in life…