T told me "don't touch my boob"

Actually an MD is a medical doctor and can prescribe meds, as well as a Nurse Practitioner. PhDs cannot are not medical doctors - I work for one and among many . Some super ambitious ones are MD's along with a Phd and they do clinical work with research. The PhDs just have more research based experience. With a PsyD, the extra experience is clinically based. So there is an advantage to a PsyD, I get the bias (and I'm studying for my Counseling Masters). It all comes down to hours of Post Masters experience and hours of supervision.

There see many excellent LMHC's out there but for a case like yours I understand not wanting to work with an inexperienced one. But in all fairness, the next level down from a doctorate in terms of clinical experience would be an LICSW (not an LCSW). That "I" in the license title is earned by working under supervision for a lot of hours. So these therapists are not newbies and can handle complex cases. I wouldn't shut them out of consideration. It's worth the effort since the PsyD you have now sounds like she has issues of her own.

havent seen a single LICSW on the provider list....I'll ask though. thanks.

In terms of social workers, the nomenclature depends on the state. In NY state, where I'm from (and where I'm an LMSW)-we don't have an LICSW. The initial licensure is an LMSW. After 3 years and/or roughly 2000 hours of clinically supervised work, the person is eligible to sit for the exam that will allow them to be licensed as an LCSW. An LCSW can do private practice, supervise, and perform other clinical duties.

In my state there is not a difference between licsw and lcsw.
So one might check the state's requirements for what the title requires.

For what it is worth, I see an awesome LSCSW

They are the same in my state as well.

I do too And a not-so-awesome PhD. A PhD doesn't necessarily equal more clinical experience, knowledge or better care.

In some cases, an LCSW is actually better equipped than someone with a doctorate degree because the LCSW program is focused more specifically on counseling and therapy, whereas doctoral programs have a lot of emphasis on research.

There are many people with PhDs in psychology who have no business doing therapy, too. It's a huge field. Some people focus their coursework and research on clinical psychology, but there are also tons of people who focus on other areas such as evolutionary psych or environmental psych. I had several psychology professors in college. They all had PhDs in psychology, but only one had ever been a therapist or had any business being a therapist for that matter.

PhDs and PsyDs also tend to be more academic-minded people, while LCSWs are more social worker, "I just want to get into this because I love to help people" types of personalities. The two aren't mutually exclusive of course, but it's a general trend I've observed. PsyDs do have a greater focus on clinical psych, but these are still doctoral, dissertation requiring programs, and plus PsyDs are still relatively rare.

Forgive me if none of this made sense. I'm running a fever. I just saw mention of doctoral grads being better educated and wanted to provide my two cents. :P

Just wanted to say I saw someone said they saw a PhD who was quite cold. This has been my experience with PhD level providers as well. One woman I saw several years ago was a straight up *****. There was not a single ounce of warmth coming from her. Everything she said was quite emotionless and mean, actually. For one, she asked me with a straight face why I didn't leave when my dad used to beat us as a child...since all 9 year olds have the means to do so. Aside from that WTF moment, everything that came from her mouth was just so curt and cold. For instance, I was avoiding doctors at that point because I was scared something serious was causing the neurological symptoms I was having. Her response to my fear was to tell me my dead mom would think I was an idiot for not going to the doctor. I told her I didn't feel well and wanted to go home, and she said, "There's nothing wrong with you. You're having a panic attack." I told her I didn't think I was having a panic attack, I thought I was getting sick. She responded, "You need to admit yourself to the psychiatric hospital for your panic attacks." I said I didn't want to go to the hospital, and she said, "Then I will get your father to force you. He can do that even though you're an adult because you live in his house."

Sorry, that was a long rant I didn't mean to get into. I really hated that lady haha.

Then I saw a neuropsychologist who was also very emotionless. Not mean, just very professor-y, I guess. Very matter of fact with everything he said. It was a similar situation with the final PhD I saw. He was a nice guy, but when it came down to the actual therapy, again, very matter of fact...basically like seeing a medical doctor for your psyche. He was there to correct a problem, but in a very detached, textbook protocol sort of way just like when a surgeon performs a kidney transplant based on the procedure taught in medical school.

Some pro's in the mental health business can be so full of themselves they tend to be an embarrassment. Every one is entitled to a bad day but been a preposterous tweet and a so and so is doing other therapists and shrinks a serious disservice.
In relation to the OP I think the T had a serious over reaction and wrongly assumed it was done deliberately. Some T's and shrinks do need to be less paranoid. The really do.
and they think we are the mad ones!!!

Umm...why was the therapist in your chair, and what was the deal with the hand holding in the first place? The whole thing just seems strange and I don't understand how it would have been part of therapy.

Also from the sound of it she was getting pretty touchy/feely herself being in your chair and all so why she'd flip out over you accidentally touching her boob when shes the one in your chair holding hands with you I don't get....

I personally might look for a new therapist.

I think we need a button for "what a boob"

I agree. What is the entire deal with the scenario to begin with?

Sometimes hand-holding may be considered a healing touch (like a hug) in therapy. Of course, this certainly is not right for every client/T scenario...and it sounds like unfortunately in this one with the OP it went terribly wrong. I have read positive experiences related here at PC, however. When handled well by a qualified, careful and empathetic T, I can certainly see the benefit of hand-holding.

My current t, the one who has helped me the most and then some, is an MA LPC. The jerk I walked out on mid-first appt was a PhD. T2 was a master's and was no help either although I gave her 3 months or so before quitting no connection at all. I could not have been more fortunate with t3 (current t)!!! The t relationship is where I find my healing happening....

I wish you all the best in your search it is so difficult to keep trying, it took me years before I was willing to try again but when I did I struck gold.

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That's a good point. In my state they start as MSW's then with experience progress to LCSW's and then LICSW's. The LCSW can bill insurance but must work for a group practice. Only an LICSW can can open their own practice.

I'm learning that this is a state licensing difference. So where you live an LCSW must be the same.

A few minutes before the end of session I asked her to sit by me on the couch and hold my hand, so she did (and I put my head on her shoulder.) It's not something we do every session, but still fairly frequently. The touch is greatly reduced from what it used to be (she used to hold me for the whole session, back when she still liked me) now we just hold hands if I'm feeling sad, but she doesn't always say yes when I ask. Dunno why the flip out over the boob graze. Prolly a lot to do with why she popped up a year into things with the "A frame hug" insisting she had always hugged me that way (a lie) saying that our stomachs and breasts were "sexual" and should never touch. I can only assume she was told that the way she was holding me before was inappropriate and so instituted stricter touch boundaries (which I rejected) and didnt let her hold me anymore, not that she wanted to anyway.

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And yea, I agree-we need a "what a boob" button, lol.

This would irritate me greatly. She is sexualizing your bodies with this remark, and if that had never been an issue before it'd catch me on the back foot and make me really annoyed. Bodies are bodies. We are all capable of touch and hugs and whatever without it being a sex thing.

I think she was quite insensitive with the boob-graze remark, does she have form for this kind of thing or was it out of character? From what you say above though I find it quite odd that your T is into physical touch at all. I think it sounds like she has unresolved issues herself around the whole area of different kinds of touch.

I have never heard of an "A frame hug", but I get it. I agree that she was probably told that this was all inappropriate and hence the changes. Has she expressed to you that she is tryining to avoid confusion regarding the nature of the hugs (sexual or non sexual)? She sounds like her entire line of thinking has completely changed from what it started as. If she just had better communication skills your situation would be so much less complicated and hurtful.

Actually she was VERY into touch the first year- foot massages, scalp massages, holding (shed sit on the couch and I'd sit between her legs with my back to her stomach and shed wrap her arms around me and we'd stay that way the whole session). This is the closest image I can find of how she held me:

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/re...-side-view.jpg

Then suddenly she started putting a pillow between her stomach and my back (for what seemed like no reason) and I hated it, so I asked her why she was doing that and she said bc our stomachs/breasts/crotch's were considered sexual by society so they should never touch so there wouldn't be any confusion between us about the nature of our touch (until that moment her touching me had never been even remotely sexual, it was just comforting and maternal) and yes, when she said that it kind of ruined it for me, made it feel less safe, bc if she's holding me and worrying that I'm getting off on the feel of her boobs on my back, that isnt a safe touch anymore. And using the pillow made me feel dirty, like she didnt want to touch me. So I stopped the holding. I told her I didn't like the new "pillow rule" and if she had to do it that way I'd rather not do it at all.

She said that some comfort should be better than no comfort, and that it was sad that I rejected 25 percent comfort bc it wasnt the 50 percent comfort I wanted, and that I was the one losing out. That if my dinner was served on a blue plate instead of red I wouldn't eat it bc I only wanted red etc...

I said that was my choice, just like using the pillow was her choice, that I respected her choice, but wasn't interested in being held under those conditions. And she hasn't done it since.

Just hugs after session (A-Frame now, when before they used to be normal hugs- long hugs, with her hand on the back of my head). And hand holding, or letting me put my head on her shoulder, but she never turns her body in towards me anymore. ::shrug::

She did almost a complete 180 regarding touch after the rupture (but the pillow thing happened one month before the rupture, so can't be explained by that).

did i miss what caused her sudden change of heart? was she pinged by a supervisor or something?

exaggerated example of A frame hug: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5GYAWaAar...on+&+Kelli.jpg

basically your butt is poked way out to prevent as much of your body as possible from touching the other person. its quite ridiculous.

she used to hug me like this: http://s921.photobucket.com/user/abk...13019.jpg.html

and we'd do three deep breaths together before she let me go. even though if you ask her now she will swear she never ever did that. but she did consistently for a year, and even kissed my forehead once. Actually she did last month, too..June 2nd I think. But I don't think she noticed her slip up.

We had a huge major rupture. Practical joke (on my part) gone bad. I still think she over reacted, but whatever I guess it doesn't matter why anymore. I played a joke she decided was a threat and BOOM nothings the same ever again.

(the touching change happened before the rupture. she doesnt have a supervisor, but she has her own therapist, so maybe she mentioned to him how she was touching me and he told her to stop? or maybe she just started deciding she didnt like me anymore? I don't know. I think it makes more sense that she was already pulling away from me BEFORE the rupture, which is why she pounced on it as an excuse to pull away even more even though it was just a stupid joke based on something she said to me in session a lot.)

I wonder if she has some attraction you you?