Masimo....noooooo!

OK, no two experiences are the same, but I stayed in contact with a wonderful therapist after she left the profession. Two years later, we were talking friendship. It has been ten years since. I wouldn't give up the blessings for anything, but it has been anything but easy. First, you find out the real person behind your therapist. They are more human than you think and sometimes have issues as strong as your own. Then you struggle to move from therapist to friend because you will miss the therapy aspect of the relationship, but they know EVERY thing about you, and you haven't actually been in their life. I had to remind myself that she was no longer my therapist, and stop myself when I would pick up the phone as if she were. There are certain expectations of your therapist. The sessions are all about you. Now you have to accept that the therapist may exhibit emotions that you never saw in therapy because it would have been unprofessional. If you are both willing to stretch, then a relationship could work, but it really means stretching to grow, and personally I think it may backfire the majority of the time. I understand now why there are rules for professional boundaries. I have no regrets and like I said, our friendship didn't develop until two years after she left the profession, but I would NEVER recommend it to anyone. On the other hand, I have probably grown tremendously through all of our struggles, so even the struggles are a blessing.