I agree with this - that's why I tell people it is most important to be actively involved in their own treatment. If the therapist or doctor is abusive or won't listen or simply is not helpful .. dismiss them n find a new one. Your doctors are your choice - regardless of what the agencies try to tell us.

I went round n round with one company bc my husband's psychiatrist was telling him what was wrong with him. As in - my husband would start talking to tell him what he was doing/feeling bc of his psych probs. The psychiatrist would cut in and say "no - this is how you really mean ... right?" My husband would say "yea, i guess so". After watching this happen like 3 or 4 times a row in the first session with the psychiatrist.. I got mad and said "no, he MEANS what he is saying - but you won't let him talk. You are not a mind reader. You cannot properly dx him (it was his first time seeing a psychiatrist) without knowing EXACTLY what is happening. LET him talk!" He looked at my husband and said "she's bipolar isn't she?" (No I'm not n I was not dx with that at the time either) And then told me to leave. When my husband got out of the office, I told him we will het him another psychiatrist bc that one did not treat him correctly at all. He said "oh I didnt know that". I said "yea, they are supposed to let you tell them your symptoms not them tell you - a doctor doesn't tell you your symptoms when you go to the clinic do they?" He said "no" I said "same thing" he got upset and said "then let's get someone else" So .. we went to the front desk to tell them we wanted to change docs. They said we needed to go to the other dept. So we went there - they said we needed to ask permission from THAT psychiatrist. I was pissed. I said - we will just go somewhere else altogether if we need to. So .. they got on the phone with that doc n told him what I said. The doc said I was not the patient and therefore could not change docs for my husband (husband was standing right there) - so my husband hollers over .. "change it" .. lady hangs up the phone. "Sorry you dont have authorization" I said - both you n the doctor heard my husband just now say "change it". She said "yes but he was coerced". So.. I said look, I been going here for years. I love my psychiatrist. Just hook him up with him. She refused to talk to him. My psychiatrist always told me if I had problems, just to come in - n let him know I was there n he would get to me when he could. So .. I let him know n waited n told him the situation. He got pissed. (Not at me - at the receptionist for treating me so poorly.) Then he went to my husband's doctor and told him that he would gladly take my husband's case - the doctor gave it to him, issue resolved.

If it had not been, I would have gone to a completely different place as I told the receptionist. We are in complete control of that much and should not be afraid to assert it.

But yes, I have had counselors that made me worse - even suicidal..and at the time I did not know any other counselor to go to. So .. what did I do? Checked myself into the community psych hosp til I could get my mind thinking well enough to figure out how to deal with the counselor. Seriously .. I have taken too much crap in life to allow ppl to push me down further than I wanna be (and yes, at times I didn't care if I was pushed into sui bc I wanted it anyway)