[Fuzzybear]

If a therapist IRL said "I want to look after you properly" and also said no online communication would you trust them?
(sorry if this seems like a dumb question, I'm not sure if it was my so called (axis 11?) dx that made me untrusting of this Other than the no online thing, this T was (mostly) ok...

[Skeezyks]

Hello Fuzzy: First, I would just like to say that I don't have allot of extensive experience with therapists. I've seen a few. But I fired them all before I really got anyplace with them! I don't think that no on-line communication is necessarily out of the ordinary. Therapists typically see numerous clients. And if their clients were all texting or e-mailing, in addition to coming in for appointments, there might well be little time for anything else. Plus, of course, they have lives of their own outside of their therapy work too. The work they do can be emotionally draining & they need to protect their own mental health as well. So, by saying no on-line communication, my perspective would be that this therapist is simply establishing, & also modelling, healthy boundaries. California psychologist, Kati Morton, talks allot about establishing & maintaining healthy boundaries in the videos she uploads onto YouTube. It's a skill we can all benefit from. I think the important thing here is to see if this therapist is someone you feel comfortable with, if s/he seems knowledgeable with regard to the types of struggles you have, & if s/he seems caring. If s/he meets those criteria, then I would say the question regarding no on-line communication should not be of concern.

[Fuzzybear]

Thanks Skeezyks I think she meant no online communication with anyone else, (eg a support forum) ..she thought I "split"

[stopdog]

I don't see the two as being mutually exclusive. I would be concerned if a therapist thought she was "looking after me" but I do believe in theory one could be looked after without online communication. Phone calls for example.

Edited to add - if a therapist was trying to tell me I could not communicate with someone else - I would get rid of that therapist immediately - they do not get to dictate my associations.

[Fuzzybear]

Thanks ... Yeah .. The phone thing wasn't consistent either

Originally Posted by stopdog

I don't see the two as being mutually exclusive. I would be concerned if a therapist thought she was "looking after me" but I do believe in theory one could be looked after without online communication. Phone calls for example.

Edited to add - if a therapist was trying to tell me I could not communicate with someone else - I would get rid of that therapist immediately - they do not get to dictate my associations.

[Salmon77]

I'm not sure why your T would want you to cut online communication. Maybe if it's problematic for you? Or something you want/need to quit already? Or if it's a support forum--does she have a problem with the kind of info or contact you're getting there, does she think it interferes with therapy in some way?

Seems like something you should get her to clarify, for sure. Would I trust her, maybe, that would depend on a whole host of other factors, like what her reasoning is and whether she's proven trustworthy in the past.

I agree with SD that if your T is suggesting you aren't 'allowed' to contact anyone else online (eg PC) They have no right to say that, and I would not tolerate a therapist telling me how to live my life. (My T suggested I bought advance train tickets to save money and I told him to quit trying to solve my problems)

[Skeezyks]

Hm-m-m-m... so she's saying you couldn't, for example, post here on PC? That would be very odd indeed. I think I would want to clarify exactly what it is she's saying. Yes... that would raise a red flag for me...