Sibling seeing the SAME therapist

My brother (Bipolar, marijuana addiction) is going to see my therapist, who I've been seeing for about 10 months, for his sessions starting Tuesday. I feel great that my brother will give psychotherapy another shot with a therapist who already knows about our household, from my perspective, and I am happy for him. I also feel that she will get to know more about our household and might be able to help us better. But I also have concerns regarding the new material that will come onto the table and the impact of those conversations on her opinion of my brother and of me in both of our conversations.

1) Should we see the same therapist? Is it a good idea?
2) Have you ever had a similar experience where you and a family member were seeing the same therapist? How did it turn out?

I have not had this experience, but it certain seems like a conflict for the therapist to now work with your brother. How did this come about? Have you talked to your therapist about this? Why can't he see someone else?

He does not want to see other therapists. He met her once when his condition was acute and he has a favorable memory of her and so doesn't mind attending therapy with her.

I would hate it if someone I knew saw my T. How do you feel about it? I think that since you were seeing your T first, your brother should respect your wishes about whether you want him to see your T or not. I feel like it would be really hard to have a family member see my T, and I wouldn't want them to.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

I had a massive row with my younger sister who wanted to see my T some years ago. It felt for me (amongst other things) like she was violating my privacy and not respecting my boundaries. This might be due to our shared history.

But apart from my personal reservations: My T kept saying that she would never consider treating any close friend/partner/relative of any existing and/or former client of hers. She would refer them on to colleagues who work in the same practice or elsewhere, if they wished so

I was quite intrigued by the fact that she even said "former" clients. Her answer was, that in her opinion, former clients of hers should always have the option to come back to her, should they feel they need to. This might not longer be an option, if she started to treat friends, siblings relatives of those former clients.
Which I found very re-assuring and comforting, just knowing that my T is still out there and available, even though our actual work has been finished.

ETA:
Schizoid_1 - how do YOU feel about this? It's great that your brother doesnt mind, but maybe you do?

I feel happy for my brother because I want see him in a much better shape. My feelings regarding her are much more varied. I also think that my brother seeing her will sort of diminish the already very weak connection between us (the therapist and me) and it will help kill my therapy.

ETA: I also think that I will tell her that I have recorded some of our sessions without her permission. So, yeah, maybe I dont want to see her again.

i would hate that my sister sees another psychologist in the same like company but not the same person.

I think if it bothers you, you would have the right to squash this, it's a conflict of interest for your therapist. Two acquaintances of mine see the same therapist, when my therapist found out that I knew them she made sure I was OK with things. I'm not sure how she would have dealt with things if I wasn't OK with the situation, but it was nice that she at least asked me about my feelings.

Seems you have mixed feelings about the situation, I would talk to your therapist about it, maybe you two can work out some arrangement that will ease your mind.

If you have a problem with this, let your therapist know so he can ask your brother to find a different therapy arrangement. You have to be comfortable with it, and it sounds like you aren't.

My husband and I see the same therapist. In fact, two of our sons also saw him for brief periods. We had no problem with that arrangement. We were comfortable about it and confidentiality was never an issue -- T was very good about this. For us, it was greatly helpful because he was intimate with our family dynamics from all perspectives which, in the long-run, did wonders for our family as a whole. It isn't for everyone though, and I don't think all therapists have the training in family therapy and dynamics to be able to effectively handle family groups/individuals.

It has worked out well for me and friends and family member to see the same therapist. She even handled it well when there was an upset with a good friend who was her client. A good therapist that works with couples or families should be able to handle seeing you and your brother. They should also be able to work with any feelings that come up for you and your brother sharing him/her. I would even haul siblings and parents into therapy with me when they were only in town for a hot and a cot.

Trainee therapist here. I wouldn't see two members of the same family or social circle. It's not appropriate.

My T's will NOT knowingly see a friend/relative of a current client. I'd definitely talk to your T if it bothers you. I don't think it's a good idea, really.

Your brother needs to find someone else.

Depends on the orientation, skill, and experience of the therapist as well as the desires and needs of the people involved. It is not for everyone, but it can work quite well and very effectively.

Does your brother always get his needs met, regardless of yours? Because I find his response troubling.

I can't imagine my therapist seeing one of my siblings. I had a joint session with a parent, but there was no question my therapist was there for me.

He is in a much worse shape than me, having come out of a rehab 6 months ago and not going to therapy with her designated T. So given the damage I think revealing to her about me recording our sessions will have, I think it will be reasonable if I stop seeing her.