Nearly a third of American women are in therapy. Whether seeking help for anxiety, depression, work stress or relationship problems, tens of millions of women are seeking support.
But what happens when the professional you turn to for help with your problems becomes a problem itself?
Women are sharing on social media their horror stories about therapy, paying practitioners hundreds of dollars an hour just to make them fall asleep during sessions, victim blaming their clients or telling them to simply get over their problems have to come.
A 31-year-old New Yorker told DailyMail.com that one of the first times she saw a therapist in high school, the counselor fell asleep in her chair “just when I could finally muster the courage to open up about something that had happened’ to me.’
Amy Nordhues, author of Prayed Upon: Breaking Free from Therapist Abuse, said in a TikTok: ‘There are so many bad therapists’
Amy Nordhues said her therapist fell asleep during one of their sessions while describing “a very painful story.”
Not only was it uncomfortable, but it was extremely discouraging.
And she’s not the only patient “whose trauma wasn’t entertaining enough to keep the therapist awake.”
Amy Nordhues, author of There was a prayer: to be delivered from abuse by therapistssaid in a TikTok, “There are so many bad therapists.”
Ms. Nordhues said her therapist fell asleep during one of their sessions while describing “a very painful story.”
“She had the nerve to question me,” Ms. Nordhues said in the video.
She added: ‘Plus she said, ‘Well, I’ve heard that story a million times.'”
Licensed marriage and family therapist Lauren Accolla described three key red flags to look for when seeing a therapist: Lack of progress; the therapist overshares personal information or crosses boundaries; and the practitioner does not disclose their training or licensing information.
In an example of the blurring of the line between patient and provider, Ray Yasmine described her horror therapy story on TikTok: “As a teenager, I saw my first long-term therapist. I trusted her with all my guts.
“When we ended the therapeutic relationship, she invited me to her house, took me out to dinner, and on the day I moved abroad for high school, she took me to get matching tattoos .
‘My current therapist, who she referred me to, subsequently reported her (but received no repercussions) and it was not until the age of 26 [years old] realized how wrong it all was.
“The tattoo is now covered.”
Dr. Liz, who is a psychologist herself, said in a TikTok that she has had her own experiences with “really toxic therapists,” including those who have pushed the boundaries of the clinical relationship.
On Tiktok, Victoria Vance said a therapist she went to as a child for her anxiety told her to “pray to God about it”
Dr. Liz said: ‘Therapists make mistakes, and that’s human for us, but these are obviously unacceptable.’
The psychologist said therapists flirted with her and pushed romantic and sexual boundaries, took her partner’s side in couples therapy and “ghosted” her, suddenly and unexpectedly ending all communication without warning or explanation.
In some cases, therapists respond without compassion, give poor advice, or downplay a patient’s feelings and experiences.
TikTok user Brianne Olsen described her “worst therapy experience ever” in a video, saying her therapist told her, “It seems like everything is going for you, you have no reason to be sad.”
The therapist also dismissed her depression symptoms and previous ADHD diagnosis.
She ended the meeting by telling Mrs. Olsen to “lighten up.”
Ms. Olsen said the experience made her not want to seek therapy again, but commenters, including some who identified themselves as therapists, told her to “give up.” [the therapist]no therapy.”
Reddit user Azmasaco wrote that her therapist told her she needed to “wipe the slate clean” and start trusting her husband again after years of physical and emotional abuse and infidelity.
Another wrote that their therapist told them, “Stop being sad and talk to people,” despite the person suffering from depression and social anxiety.
Reddit user FutureMailCarrier wrote that their therapist’s advice on tackling their problems was: “Face your fears.”
On Tiktok, Victoria Vance, the daughter of a therapist, said a counselor she went to as a child for her anxiety told her to “pray to God about it.”
“That wasn’t the answer I was looking for,” she said.
User MeltyMermaid97 noted that one of their therapists said it was her father’s own fault that he got cancer.
Another added that their therapist told her to “stop theater” when she had a nervous breakdown during one of their sessions.
In another case, a Reddit user practitioner told her she would one day “miss the attention” after revealing that a man followed her around a store, giving her kisses, waving and asking for her number even after she asked him – shortly after she was stalked. by another man.
Redditer Wackydetective said, “About a year before my dad died, they convinced him to go to therapy. He was a retired truck driver with a potty mouth. My brother went missing ten years ago after my mother’s death. It was my father’s greatest sorrow.
“The therapist told him, ‘I think it’s time to accept that your son is dead.’
WrestlingWoman also said, “First time I’ve seen one. I had never opened up before and decided to give her a fair chance. I answered all her questions and told her what happened to me as a child.
‘Her response to my trauma: ‘Why haven’t you gotten over that yet? Other people have had it worse than you and they’re over it.’
Dr. Danna Bodenheimer, a therapist in Philadelphia, said, “Therapists can be incredibly harmful, and if therapists aren’t constantly monitoring themselves, they’re likely to do something harmful because they feel like they’re not constantly monitoring themselves.” keep an eye on it. of power and a false sense of expertise about the people they work with, often leaving the person feeling like they don’t know themselves.’
She said it’s important for therapists to be “human” and interact with their clients in a way that lets patients know “they’re dealing with a real person.”
Despite the accumulation of bad advice and unprofessional behavior, both therapists and patients emphasize the importance of therapy, explaining that it may take some time to find a provider you connect with and feel comfortable with.
But, many add, it’s worth it in the end.