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Originally Posted by monalisasmile
I don't have anything else to add that hasn't already been said but I just wanted to say that being adopted or an alcoholic is indeed very painful but entirely different from being gay. I am not saying either is harder or worse but they are different and can't be compared unless you have experienced all three.
I do think it is a therapists job to educate themselves or they have no business claiming to be able to help clients when they have no education in this area. It's dangerous and can be very damaging. This is where ethics come into it and the therapist should no their limitations and refer.
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I agree with this. I've seen in a few ways that mental health professionals sometimes easily claim that they can treat issues they do not have the necessary education and experience with. I can speak for the example of substance addictions as that is something I have struggled with. I find it upsetting, for example, when therapists argue that harm reduction approaches and trying to achieve some kind of moderation is the only realistic and sustainable way for addicts. Would never work for me, only total abstinence does, no matter how hard it is to maintain. I was particularly very angry with my former therapist when he minimized the impact and seriousness of my relapse. I was very desperate telling him that I would need to find serious help outside of therapy because one hour of talking a week does nothing for it. Then he criticized nearly every possibility I brought up and suggested that I should just go talk to him about it. WTF?! Clearly does not understand how addictions work and he claims it to be one of his specialty!
There were many other things also with this therapist that finally culminated in a gigantic web of conflicts that never got resolved and I left. He even blamed me for this, that I take the easy way out... Maybe, but his behavior was very harmful on me at the time.