The practice of psychotherapy has been marred with cases of abuse for years. There are two ways therapists abusing their clients-emotionally and sexually. Sexual abuse has been checked by patients who report it to the relevant bodies and the responsible counselors arrested and prosecuted. The other form, emotional abuse by a psychotherapist has not been checked because victims rarely report it.
People seek therapy for many reasons. Therapeutic sessions are meant to help patients feel secure, safe and happy again. For this to happen, both the therapist and client should create a healthy and stable environment in order to develop trust. Its only in a trustworthy relationship that a client expresses their feelings or emotions about specific things disturbing their peace.
The client-psychotherapist relationship is complicated and is not as easy as it sounds. For starters, the therapist has the power to influence the client who is mostly weak and vulnerable. A non professional psychotherapist takes advantage of the imbalance of power with dire consequences. It is even worse for patients who have been victims of such heinous crimes in the past since violation and therapy may be one and the same thing.
Patients must constantly ask themselves whether their relationship with their therapist is right. The best way to tell this is a close examination of the boundary between you as the patient and the counselor. A healthy should not have blurry relationship boundaries. For instance, you should not be offered therapy at a reduced fee as a favor. In fact, clients should not receive favors from their therapists.
Another indicator of a blurry relationship is sessions that have no defined period of time. In addition, the client and therapist should not belong to the same social circles or attend similar events, professional or otherwise. In addition, the therapist must respect you as a client and adhere to professional guidelines on how he or she should treat you.
If you feel that the therapist is abusing you, he or she is probably doing so. The therapist probably says degrading, intimidating, humiliating things to shame or manipulate you. In other cases, he or she makes you feel like you need them. When you miss a session, you probably feel anxious since the therapist has insinuated that they are only one who can fix you. If this describes you, you need to go with your instinct and take appropriate measures to stop the therapy.
If the description above fits you, it may be time to move out of the relationship. You may want to see another therapist, preferably one who does not know your previous one. Also, talk to your friend or someone you trust like a parent or spouse. Legal action may be necessary also because the law protects patients from abuse. In addition, consider launching a formal complaint with the board so that no one else goes through your experience.
Emotional abuse is a trauma by itself. It is even worse if it is orchestrated by someone you trusted. Patients who have been abused before are probably the most vulnerable. The net result is more emotional burdens for the patients who sometimes become suicidal.
People seek therapy for many reasons. Therapeutic sessions are meant to help patients feel secure, safe and happy again. For this to happen, both the therapist and client should create a healthy and stable environment in order to develop trust. Its only in a trustworthy relationship that a client expresses their feelings or emotions about specific things disturbing their peace.
The client-psychotherapist relationship is complicated and is not as easy as it sounds. For starters, the therapist has the power to influence the client who is mostly weak and vulnerable. A non professional psychotherapist takes advantage of the imbalance of power with dire consequences. It is even worse for patients who have been victims of such heinous crimes in the past since violation and therapy may be one and the same thing.
Patients must constantly ask themselves whether their relationship with their therapist is right. The best way to tell this is a close examination of the boundary between you as the patient and the counselor. A healthy should not have blurry relationship boundaries. For instance, you should not be offered therapy at a reduced fee as a favor. In fact, clients should not receive favors from their therapists.
Another indicator of a blurry relationship is sessions that have no defined period of time. In addition, the client and therapist should not belong to the same social circles or attend similar events, professional or otherwise. In addition, the therapist must respect you as a client and adhere to professional guidelines on how he or she should treat you.
If you feel that the therapist is abusing you, he or she is probably doing so. The therapist probably says degrading, intimidating, humiliating things to shame or manipulate you. In other cases, he or she makes you feel like you need them. When you miss a session, you probably feel anxious since the therapist has insinuated that they are only one who can fix you. If this describes you, you need to go with your instinct and take appropriate measures to stop the therapy.
If the description above fits you, it may be time to move out of the relationship. You may want to see another therapist, preferably one who does not know your previous one. Also, talk to your friend or someone you trust like a parent or spouse. Legal action may be necessary also because the law protects patients from abuse. In addition, consider launching a formal complaint with the board so that no one else goes through your experience.
Emotional abuse is a trauma by itself. It is even worse if it is orchestrated by someone you trusted. Patients who have been abused before are probably the most vulnerable. The net result is more emotional burdens for the patients who sometimes become suicidal.
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