What Is Your Outfit Telling Your Therapist?

Travis Paul Martin is someone who sticks to a uniform: a cashmere sweater and jeans in the winter, or gym shorts and a tee in warmer weather.

Mr. Martin, a publicist based in Chicago, wears those same outfits each week when he sets off for his therapy appointments. “It helps me get on that couch to do what I need to do,” said Mr. Martin, 40, who usually pairs his outfits with Birkenstock clogs.

“I’m thinking back to stereotypes like Lorraine Bracco in ‘The Sopranos,’ who always dressed up — if I was going to see her, I would never wear gym clothes,” he added.

He did not think much about how his looks might play a role in his care until one session, when his therapist pointed out that he was not wearing his favorite Birkenstocks.

Therapy may not seem like an occasion that requires putting much thought into an outfit. But as many people have returned to in-person sessions — some after years of remote therapy — they’re finding that it can be tricky to get dressed for appointments. Even if patients do not mean to say anything with their clothes, it may be unavoidable that their unconscious selves are speaking for them.

Therapists say they’re paying close attention.