Therapists Spill: When You Have a Bad Therapy Experience
It takes courage to seek therapy. Therapy is a vulnerable act, as you entrust a stranger with your innermost thoughts and feelings. So it can be especially disappointing and distressing when you have a bad experience. It might even taint your view on the entire process and system.
“Just one bad experience can shut a person down, turn them off to a new therapist, and leave them disinterested and even disgusted by the entire mental health system,” said clinical psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD.
But exploring your bad experience — pinpointing why it was so negative — can help. Below, clinicians reveal common reasons behind bad experiences, along with insights into navigating therapy in the future.
Common Reasons for a Bad Experience
Ethics. Every profession has bad eggs, said Serani, author of the books Living with Depression and Depression and Your Child. Therapy is no exception. According to clinical psychologist Ryan Howes, Ph.D, clinicians may behave unethically and harm their clients by: “having a sexual relationship, breaching confidentiality, extorting money, practicing outside their area of competence, giving poor advice, or responding based on their issues instead of their clients.”
Expectations. Inaccurate expectations can lead to a bad experience. For instance, if you expected therapy to be like a visit to the doctor, you might’ve been disappointed to learn that therapy requires an active role, said Howes, who practices in Pasadena, Calif. If y...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Disorders General Healthy Living Psychology Psychotherapy Self-Help Therapists Spill Treatment Clinical Psychology ethics and therapy therapeutic alliance Source Type: news
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