Quote:
Originally Posted by lolagrace
I think this kind of thing happens far too often (really, even once is too many for the clients on the receiving end), but I don't think it happens in most cases (but that is no consolation if you were the case where it did happen).
I have never been dumped by a therapist, nor have I felt abandoned. I have had therapy have to end with two therapists because either they or I moved, but I never considered that at all abandonment. My therapists never promised they would be there for me forever, nor would I have ever expected them to be -- that's unrealistic. They did say they would be supportive and work with me so long as our work took, barring obvious circumstances such as job moves, retirement, death (honestly, they didn't have to say that; those kinds of circumstances seem obviously apparent to me in all things).
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My therapist and I talked about abandonment only because I brought to her attention how posters here on PC took "I am here for you no matter what" as an absolute, meaning real life won't happen to me or my therapist. She laughed at me, and explained that there was nothing she could do if she's dead, or incapacitated. She did explain having a professional will, and that lead her to reexamine who she chose. More importantly, she was trying to get me to understand, there are things we cannot control, yet, she would do all in her power to work with we me through thick and thin. She also gave me the option to continue if she felt I was not moving forward in therapy. There would be no unilateral termination from by her.
As an adult, rational me knew very well we weren't having therapy six feet under, and i'm sure my soul was going to be in hell and hers in heaven. Though for me if I invested in our relationship it would feel like abandonment no matter how it ended, except for mutual termination.