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‘Therapist’ is a broad definition that refers to mental health professionals who specialize in helping patients process difficult emotions and experiences, equip them with coping mechanisms to breeze through life challenges, and reduce symptoms of mental disorders. Such help has improved the lives of many, but let’s not forget that therapists are also people, which means they make mistakes too. Speaking of...someone online asked netizens to share times when a therapist said something so completely unhinged and unprofessional it immediately made them want to switch to another one. Scroll down to find their answers below, and don’t forget to upvote the hardest-to-believe ones.
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#1
I had wounds (sv) and showed them to my therapist, she said that they were not deep and that I should go deeper next time. I have another therapist since then
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#2
When I was talking about how my mom abused me my whole childhood and she said “do you not have empathy?” Basically saying I should have empathy for my mom for abusing me?????
No therapist is perfect, and the therapy journey itself can be uncomfortable (for good reasons!), so knowing when to act on what could be 'red flags' in therapy can sometimes get confusing.
According to a Psychology Today article, some of the warning signs of a bad therapist include talking excessively about themselves, refusing to accept constructive criticism, and avoiding talking about what the process will look like.
"Other warning signs include: being judgmental or critical of the client’s choices or lifestyle, appearing bored or distracted during sessions, treating the client as emotionally or intellectually inferior, or seeming easily overwhelmed or upset by information the client discloses."
#4
I have ocd and i get really bad intrusive thoughts, which give me bad anxiety. She then asked me to tell her the thoughts that i get. So I told her, and she just straight up started to laugh.😀
#5
"you can't be lesbian because you have daddy issues" ok sorry let me switch sides real quick
#6
"You're so boring, that's why you don't have any friends. Just go outside, the depression will cure itself and you will make friends." (for context: I have social anxiety)
Royal Stray 3 weeks ago
Are we sure some of these aren't just other patients pretending to be the therapists?
Some specific phrases that give away that a therapist is acting unprofessionally are “There’s not much we can do about that” and “You just have to suck it up/do it/snap out of it.”
These phrases imply the minimization of the problem and hinder faith in mental health professionals, which is one of the most important things about treatment. When a therapist is unsure of what can be done for a specific patient's situation, they should see it as a learning curve and seek supervision and withhold commentary, like the phrases mentioned just above.
#7
"You're not autistic, who told you that wasn't right, you need to find God and go to church"
#8
She asked for a hug. She knows I don’t do hugs. She said “but what if I wanted one?”. I told somebody because that’s a BIG violation, when I told her I document everything she got … weird
#9
I told my therapist all how I felt since I didn't feel brave enough to tell my parents since they'd push me away. I was showing clear symptoms of stress and depression. Yet she proceed to tell my parents everything and giving me barely any access to the internet, where my most trusted friends are. She made me get more worse, I don't want to see her ever again. She never even really helped me either and didn't understand me either
Rachel Pelz 3 weeks ago
Terrible therapist. Even if OP was minor, illegal unless there is a serious risk a "unaliving".
#10
Came into session saying I was finally ready to speak about the details of traumatic events. Crying and shaking while I explain… look up to see her falling asleep in her chair.
#11
I’m adopted, and she drew like a life board for me and in the family section she drew me outside of the circle bc it “wasn’t my real family”
#12
She secretly had a session with my husband (not her client) exposing everything I had confided in her about 😍✌️
Lyone Fein 3 weeks ago
Isn’t this illegal where you live? She should lose her license for this.
#13
"if you really want to die then why are you still alive" looking back on it I can see what she was trying to do but to me it just sounded like a dare
#14
my second psychiatrist who did my diagnostics told me she couldnt help me anymore but thinks i have bpd AND THEN told me i could go switzerland for assisted death
#15
basically dismissed my attempts and was OBSESSED with my mom. he saw her once and i guess he fell for her LMAO?? she’s one of the reason i’m like this YET he’d always bring her up 😒
#16
I told her how i lay in bed all day and cant do any of the things that i desire and she said "well sometimes its nice to just lay and do nothing" LIKE WHAT?? I just told her how i want to do so much but can't
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 weeks ago
Weird if it's the only thing she said. If it was being framed in a way to try to remove the guilt around it then I see no issue.
#17
"idk how to help u so u don't have to come back" and treated me like a child because Im autistic and couldn't identify what emotion I was feeling
Anthony Elmore 3 weeks ago
Oof, been there... Wasn't diagnosed as autistic at the time, but yeah...
#18
I Said that i struggle with feeling like nobody around me actually likes me and she goes ”yes, i can understand that you would feel that way, u are very far back in life for your age”. She also shamed me for not wanting kids. She thought it was weird meeting women who don’t long to be a mother, and that was an indication for being ”odd” as a person
#19
“your scars aren’t pleasing what will you do in summer to hide them”, babes, nothing, im getting my tan thats what
#20
I was at my psychiatrist's nd they were taking my blood for tests and the nurse asked me if I was feelinv okay and my psychiatrist said 'she's alright, shes used to bleeding, right?'
#21
I told her that it’s hard for me to go outside because I feel like everybody is watching me. She said « don’t worry you’re not that pretty »
#22
Hé litterly said: ‘you already got r*ped, a second time doesn’t matter then’😭😭😭😭🫡🫡🙏🙏🙏🙏
#23
"you just want to be trendy" she said when she saw my sh scars
Susie Elle 3 weeks ago
Probably one of the worst things you can say to someone with mental health issues.
#24
“I understand lesbians and gays, but i cannot stand bisexual. In my opinion they don’t exist”.
#25
After I told her about my mom trauma she just said “Your mom probably doesn’t have it easy with you.”
#26
"Other people have it worse than you".
winterwidow87 3 weeks ago
Yep the "starving kids in Africa" argument is the cure for everything /S.
#27
it's not so deep, but she said I'm a hopeless case
#28
uh idk but when I was 14 & skipped school for over a year because of depression, extreme anxiety & ptsd she just straight up looked at me & said „So you didn’t went to school because you were lazy.“ she was also the one who diagnosed me.. Like I got my diagnoses & two-three sittings later she said that into my face, I was like ?????
Virgil Blue 3 weeks ago
Possibly to try trigger a reaction as a test. They did something similar to me but explained why and apologised right after. If they didn't? New therapist time.
#29
I have a lot of horrible stories but this one’s the easiest to share: “You’re too smart to commit s*icide”
#30
“it’s for egoistic people like you that I hate my job” idk Marta, I tried to kms yesterday, maybe spare me a bit
Royal Stray 3 weeks ago
Your job is to listen to people's issues and help. If you don't want to hear them rant switch careers
#31
“every time I see you I lowkey get pissed off” I was terrified of opening up and this made me crash out real bad💀
#32
she said "can't you just get over it?" after talking about the same situation for the millionth time😭
#33
"I know you don't want a session with your mother, but-" Yeah guess who's mother was all smiley and good at that session (I didn't even want) and then made me regret life at home
Royal Stray 3 weeks ago
Yeah mine forced everyone into family therapy and would get mad when the therapist didn't agree with her, or blame me for speaking my mind and claimed that I was manipulating the therapist. Like lady I'm not the one who had to be told several times to please let someone else finish speaking before trying to argue. Not to mention that she'd try to twist the therapist's words to her own gain. I wonder how many people got into trouble at home for what they said in therapy with their parents there... I feel like there's quite a lot
#34
Not too crazy but dropped the ”not all men” bomb when i told her i feel a bit uncomfortable with men for many reasons and past experiences
Royal Stray 3 weeks ago
I'd get this if it was an internet debate, but who tf is she to tell you who to be comfortable around?
#35
my therapist said i dont have a reason to be depressed cuz i go to school everyday(i really struggle with it tho) and have loving parents, then my psychiatrist diagnosed me with deep depression
#36
I started crying and I avoided to loot at the therapist face because I was crying and she said "why don't you look at me you know when you talk to people you have to look at them"
Virgil Blue 3 weeks ago
As an autist? No, I do not. Best I can give you is max ten minutes staring right past your left ear and you'll just have to be glad you get even that.
#37
I was inpatient at the ed ward and my psychiatrist recommended I watched TO THE BONE to get motivation to recover - it backfired VIOLENTLY and made my situation even worse 😭
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 3 weeks ago
I know it’s probably eating disorder but I read it as erectile dysfunction at first
#38
That I would be great for medical experiments because my case is so complicated, unique and insane and she would love to see many experiments on me 🥰
Anne Young 2 weeks ago
'Experiments on me'. Nothing to do w/ English apparently. You don't have an experiment on you.
#39
My therapist tried to take away my depression diagnostic
Bored Retsuko 3 weeks ago
It's a thing in some places that they don't want to "mark" you with a diagnosis that will give you disadvantages, such as not being able to get life insurance, maybe that's what this was about?
#40
“u can’t have an ed if u eat”
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What do you think ?
Chaos Pandas Unite 3 weeks ago
A lot of these are obviously unprofessional and dangerous, and then some of them (when part of a larger, balanced intervention) aren’t necessarily terrible. But taken out of context it’s hard to know… like some that may be assessing for perspective taking/ability to have a realistic and wider perspective for example.
L Sarris 3 weeks ago
They are also self reported memories of what someone said while in emotional distress. Its highly likely the comments were not as presented here, but are a reflection of their fears/ assumptions. Source: Psych RN
Load More Replies...
Lady Eowyn 3 weeks ago
None of these people should be therapists. There are good ones out there, it may take time to find them but it is worth the effort.
Chaos Pandas Unite 3 weeks ago
A lot of these are obviously unprofessional and dangerous, and then some of them (when part of a larger, balanced intervention) aren’t necessarily terrible. But taken out of context it’s hard to know… like some that may be assessing for perspective taking/ability to have a realistic and wider perspective for example.
L Sarris 3 weeks ago
They are also self reported memories of what someone said while in emotional distress. Its highly likely the comments were not as presented here, but are a reflection of their fears/ assumptions. Source: Psych RN
Load More Replies... Lady Eowyn 3 weeks ago
None of these people should be therapists. There are good ones out there, it may take time to find them but it is worth the effort.
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