I guess I have two reactions when I see posts that make negative generalizations about psychotherapy (there is a systemic problem, those guys think they're gods, it's cult-like, and on and on). My first is that these are inaccurate, because they do not describe my therapy or my T at all. So I try to counteract the generalizations because I think they are untrue. Not untrue that a person had a bad experience, but untrue that the bad experience is the norm, or a necessary and inevitable result of the therapeutic relationship, or whatever.

Second, when I see these posts, I worry about people who might be reading this forum and trying to decide whether to get help. Pursuing therapy is scary and difficult; admitting you need help is difficult. I imagine someone who is severely depressed and considering therapy might find, in these conversations, another reason to lose hope. And therapy does, sometimes, help people.

I'm not real involved here, but I do think there's a strong negativity on this forum lately that wasn't present when I first read it.