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.
There are many reasons why people seek therapy. It is supposed to make clients feel happy, safe and secure. To achieve this, the therapeutic environment should be healthy and stable to build trust between the psychotherapist and client. In a trustworthy relationship, the client is able to express their emotions and feelings for the medical practitioner to help them make sense out of them.
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.
The good thing is that it is easy to differentiate between acts of therapy and those of violation. However, to do so, patients must always be on the watch out. The best way to achieve this is to examine the boundaries of the relationship between the therapist and client. The line between professional and personal relationship between the counselor and therapist should not feel blurry at all.
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.
After examining the relationship, start looking at how the therapist treats you. If you feel like he or she is abusing you, its probably right, go with your instinct on this one. Do they give humiliating, degrading, manipulative or intimidating things to you? Or do they make you feel hopeless or that you are absolutely dependent on them. When you miss a session, do you feel anxious?
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 extremely traumatizing especially coming from someone you trust with your innermost secrets. Many patients who are abused are not even aware of it, especially if the therapist is counseling them for another form of abuse. Such patients end up with even more emotional burdens while some of them are suicidal. Consequently, it is important to disengage from abusive relationships.
There are many reasons why people seek therapy. It is supposed to make clients feel happy, safe and secure. To achieve this, the therapeutic environment should be healthy and stable to build trust between the psychotherapist and client. In a trustworthy relationship, the client is able to express their emotions and feelings for the medical practitioner to help them make sense out of them.
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.
The good thing is that it is easy to differentiate between acts of therapy and those of violation. However, to do so, patients must always be on the watch out. The best way to achieve this is to examine the boundaries of the relationship between the therapist and client. The line between professional and personal relationship between the counselor and therapist should not feel blurry at all.
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.
After examining the relationship, start looking at how the therapist treats you. If you feel like he or she is abusing you, its probably right, go with your instinct on this one. Do they give humiliating, degrading, manipulative or intimidating things to you? Or do they make you feel hopeless or that you are absolutely dependent on them. When you miss a session, do you feel anxious?
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 extremely traumatizing especially coming from someone you trust with your innermost secrets. Many patients who are abused are not even aware of it, especially if the therapist is counseling them for another form of abuse. Such patients end up with even more emotional burdens while some of them are suicidal. Consequently, it is important to disengage from abusive relationships.
About the Author:
You can visit therapyabuse.org for more helpful information about Dangers Of Emotional Abuse By A Psychotherapist.
No comments:
Post a Comment