Quote:
Originally Posted by lolagrace
Actually, no. I don't assume one chooses to be dependent or not at all; I think that is something that happens in the course of any relationship and can't really be planned or chosen. But dependency can be healthy. Not all dependence is unhealthy. It just isn't that black and white. It is possible to have healthy attachment and dependence. So often those concepts are thought of as negative, but the hope is that we can learn in life that we can develop healthy attachment to people with a healthy level of dependence.
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I was reading between the lines of your response, and guessing at your drift, so I stand corrected.
Yes of course dependency in general can be healthy. But the question is whether it is
likely to be healthy
in therapy. Naturally there will be cases where it does work out, but I would argue that in general it is not a good idea to develop emotional dependence on a person that you can never really know and who is being paid to work with you (and who benefits from keeping you around). Some ethics codes warn against it.
Witness the many interminable therapy relationships, the cases of traumatic client abandonment, the endless difficulty around termination.