Recently, cases of counselors abusing their clients have been on the rise. In cases where the cases came to light, they were arrested and prosecuted. Meanwhile, another form of abuse has cropped up, and since it leaves no physical evidence, cases are not reported. Emotional abuse by a psychotherapist is as bad as sexual harassment. It leaves the victim confused and hurting, especially because it is from someone they trusted with their deepest secrets and vulnerabilities.
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.
To differentiate violation and therapy, patients must always be on the watch out. Constantly ask yourself whether the relationship feels right. Also, examine the boundaries between the professional and personal relationship between you and your counselor. If the boundary seems a little bit blurry, it is time to run for the hills. Favors like reducing fees and other types of favors meant to make you feel special are not acceptable.
Blurry relationships may also be signaled by the length of time a session lasts. Also, the two parties are not allowed to have the same social relationships or belong to same social circles. There should not be a personal relationship between the client and the therapist or the therapists family outside of the office since it could lead to conflicts of interest.
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?
The first step is talk to a friend, spouse or parent in an attempt to seek out more information. Also, you might want to check the Internet for help. These sources of information will help you confirm whether your psychotherapist is abusing you. In addition, you may seek another therapist, probably one who does not your previous one. Lastly, you may contact legal counsel, launch a formal complaint with the board or go to the police.
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.
To differentiate violation and therapy, patients must always be on the watch out. Constantly ask yourself whether the relationship feels right. Also, examine the boundaries between the professional and personal relationship between you and your counselor. If the boundary seems a little bit blurry, it is time to run for the hills. Favors like reducing fees and other types of favors meant to make you feel special are not acceptable.
Blurry relationships may also be signaled by the length of time a session lasts. Also, the two parties are not allowed to have the same social relationships or belong to same social circles. There should not be a personal relationship between the client and the therapist or the therapists family outside of the office since it could lead to conflicts of interest.
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?
The first step is talk to a friend, spouse or parent in an attempt to seek out more information. Also, you might want to check the Internet for help. These sources of information will help you confirm whether your psychotherapist is abusing you. In addition, you may seek another therapist, probably one who does not your previous one. Lastly, you may contact legal counsel, launch a formal complaint with the board or go to the police.
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:
When you are looking for information about emotional abuse by a psychotherapist, you can pay a visit to our web pages here. Details are available at http://therapyabuse.org now.
No comments:
Post a Comment