Even though there have been many occasions when I felt like I might benefit from therapy, I have been hesitant to actually seek out a therapist because I've had such negative experiences with them in the past. One issue that really bothered me was being interrupted while speaking. Like, literally cut off mid-sentence by the therapist jumping in with her own opinion. This happened with two different therapists. The first one I managed to get through about five or six sessions before I admitted that I felt worse, not better, every time I spoke with her and no longer felt she was a good fit. The second one interrupted me multiple times during the initial session and I didn't even bother coming back.

That just seems so inconsiderate and disrespectful--not to mention counterproductive. Why ask someone a question with the supposed purpose of understanding them better only to cut them off before they're finished responding? And then jump to a conclusion without having heard the whole story? In each case, the therapist's response was way off the mark. When I explained that I wasn't finished talking and that her response may have been different if she heard everything I had to say, the therapist dismissed the concern and made it clear that she'd already come to a conclusion about the issue at hand.

I know that patients and therapists often disagree. I also know that "provoking" the patient in various ways can help them to open up and provide insights. But flat-out interrupting the patient? What therapeutic purpose could that possibly serve? It really made me feel frustrated and disrespected and put me off from therapy in a big way. I'm afraid it will happen again.

Anyway, is this normal behavior for a therapist? Has anyone ever had the same problem during a session--and if so, how did you address it?