Survivors of Unethical Therapy

The person that seems to run the site has been on the ball.
I have read further- he is a Scientologist, in case it matters to anyone.

They are only interested in Psychiatrist misconduct, btw.

Interesting find!

There is also this website http://www.psychcrime.org/ I came across a long time ago and they are also operated by Scientology, I believe. It's like one cult is fighting another cult . That's too bad, because this definitely doesn't give their website the perception of legitimacy. At this point, the only legitimate and interesting website that challenges psychiatry and, sometimes, psychotherapy and has a big audience and following is MIA. But they don't keep the database of the wrongdoings. I don't think such database would be needed if licensing boards kept information about their disciplinary actions easily accessible. This information is a public record. However, it's not easy to get to it if you want to look it up free of charge. In my case, I was able to find and see the record of my case online because I knew what to look for. And even then it was tricky to get to the actual file. For a random person who might've wanted to check if my ex-T's license was in good standing, the system navigation was confusing and made it hard to get to the record. This is something that those who want to start some advocacy organization could try to change. They could push for making the system more transparent and easily searchable. Whoever wants to lead the charge and petition the boards, just let me know where to sign.

I think writing and sending the complaint was a huge step, and their answer was the best case scenario. I knew that they didn't have any authority since she had not renewed her License before I sent the complaint, so was not expecting any more.

I just started reading “Coming to Voice: Surviving a Predatory Therapist.” It’s really nice to find a book that resonates (in many, but not all) ways with my experience. Might be of interest to others.

A recent news report about sex abuse in mental health field.

More links to similar stuff. I have not watched these videos, let me know if they are not appropriate.

I think, the links are appropriate, though some of them are disturbing, so I'd, probably, put a trigger warning next to them.

It frustrates me that the only info people get is this type of small disconnected pieces of some cases here and there outside of the broader context. That's why I don't really like watching this stuff, frankly, because those videos don't supply any further information that discuss the issue on the broader scale and they have more of a sensational rather than informational quality, so there is nothing productive you can do with those videos.

I wish, if I wanted to look for a new T, one of the specialties to look for was “therapist abuse.” There are a million T’s who specialize in depression, anxiety, and even trauma. But I can’t find one who is willing to discuss trauma caused by abuse from a former T. There are no lists of therapists who do this work and whenever I’ve reached out to T’s to ask about this, they say “this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like this. Unfortunately, I don’t do this.”

I had excellent luck gaining understanding with someone who practices extremely scientifically. I tended to make other psychodynamic therapists extremely uncomfortable.

I think most therapists have client failures they’d rather forget, and seeing someone in front of them in extreme pain gives them exposure to what goes on after the failures walk out of their lives and stop making appointments. I’m guessing it’s gutting to listen to. Thus, a therapist has to be pretty solid with themselves to ‘go there’.

When I investigated this, it made me realize how sick the profession is.

I went thru a long list of therapists trying to get help with damaging therapy, and almost all went into client blaming mode unconsciously, or tried to change the subject. Most seemed to have never considered that these weird, hierarchical, personal-clinical relationships could be harmful. There was an almost child-like lack of awareness. Or they were like religious zealots who could only think in terms of the gospel. No doubt of a few of them knew the truth and pretended not to.

I did consult with two therapists on the phone who claim to specialize in therapy ruptures. One was careless and stupid, and the other was guarded and said almost nothing of substance.

The whole experience post-sh*tty therapy was pathetic and pathological in nearly every way, including my own assumptions and expectations. Extreme irony that this mess was supposed to somehow produce healing. Healthiest thing I ever did was to reject it and walk away.

This is exactly the issue when the therapy is subtly and slowly damaging, instead of there being some egregious heinous act committed.

A few psychodynamic therapists I spoke with in early recovery referred to my trauma as a ‘transference’ problem (as if my pain was related to the past), instead of aknowledging that what was going on in session was independently painful and traumatic. Pathologizing it that way felt like insult to injury. After that I decided to go it alone for a while.

It wasn’t until I explored the world of evidence-based treatments did I hear acknowledgement that what ‘the other guys’ were doing didn’t have proven results and ended in either no improvement or backsliding in many cases. I’m assuming some of the validation might be based on arrogance around their own modalities but as it relates to my recovery ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend’.

Very frustrating!

When I filed a grievance I was accused of incapability of distinguishing past and present. That person would be so disabled, she’d be a hazard in traffic.

I apologize for not including trigger warnings for the links on the last page! Hopefully people will not be hurt.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

There have been practicing therapists who specialize or are sensitive to this issue. I was fortunate enough to find a T who treated therapist/patient exploitation during the actual Pdoc abuse. I saw her for about five or six years but had to move out of state. I’m not sure she practices anymore. This was in California.

I got her name from Gary Schoener, Ph.D. at
Staff & Board - Walk-In

He might know of therapists knowledgeable about this issue in your area. I’m not sure.

If you live in California and are looking for a T in this specialty, I might have another name for you. You can private message me and I will give you her information.

Much of therapy seems predicated on the idea of finding a therapist who gets you and will validate you.

But if that goes badly, then you need a new therapist to validate the invalidation of the prior therapist.

Plus presumably you'd also need validation of the original issues that you brought you to therapy.

Some people have had multiple bad therapy experiences, and thus have a backlog of validation needs, plus multi-layered trauma that involves old wounds mixed with new therapy-inflicted wounds.

This virtually guarantees lifelong servitude to the system.

For me the answer is to cut the thing off at the root... reject the notion of the therapist as life doctor who injects acceptance and validation into you.

Problem is, in our culture your well-being is not your property. Focusing on self-care is considered subversive or indication of a disorder. Your suffering is a commodity and must be surrendered to the marketplace.

Depressed? You'll need:
- a physician to "run some tests"'
- a therapist (maybe more than one)
- a psychiatrist for drugs
- some specialists to deal with the adverse effects from the drugs

Excellent analysis of the situation. But stop at the point I cut off the quote for a moment.

Many humans need some acceptance and validatation by other humans. Seems to be wired in. Abandonment, rejection, etc., all have stressful effects on the nervous system.

My solution has been to look for acceptance and validation by support groups and peers, not specialists. Yes, we all have our problems and issues, and acceptance and validation is by no means guaranteed, or warranted. But it's been a lot better for me than any more therapists and other "experts".

Also descriptive of me for most of my adult life. Plus I had no clue what self-care would be -- that's part of the stuff I went into therapy with. Hence my need for all those "experts".

I broke out of the system on that one, too, finally! Still not sure what self-care is but I'm darn sure that looking to more experts for acceptance and validation is NOT something that will work for me.

Three years ago, I couldn't depend on myself for acceptance and validation, on my own. The non-rejection and support I've gotten in the meantime have gone a long way toward whatever it was that the experts were supposed to be helping me with or providing, but never did.

I can't get acceptance and validation, and learn better ways to continue to do that, on my own -- but I CAN develop those skills, in the company of others with issues, who give me feedback and support, as and when they are able.

Just basic human stuff -- when we're not doing all the other things that our society somehow usually puts the priorities on.

Well said, I like the discussion going on here.

Got triggered this morning. Super angry about the corrupt and unethical gutter trash out there.

Quote:

This virtually guarantees lifelong servitude to the system.

What system? Can you explain more?

Quote:

Problem is, in our culture your well-being is not your property. Focusing on self-care is considered subversive or indication of a disorder. Your suffering is a commodity and must be surrendered to the marketplace. Depressed? You'll need: - a physician to "run some tests"' - a therapist (maybe more than one) - a psychiatrist for drugs - some specialists to deal with the adverse effects from the drugs

I think that self care is almost too encouraged or promoted. Almost like you should forgo all professional help with everything and focus on doing it all yourself.

I am starting to doubt the efficacy of therapy in general.

Psychotherapy system, mental health system.

I see people being pushed toward therapists and doctors aggressively and systematically, everywhere all the time. Everything is a disease and everything requires treatment.

This is the kind of crap I am talking about (it's from the Mayo Clinic)...

"If you feel depressed, make an appointment to see your doctor or mental health professional as soon as you can. If you're reluctant to seek treatment, talk to a friend or loved one, any health care professional, a faith leader, or someone else you trust."

Someone who answered one of my posts helpfully, described her experience as plain old therapy abuse. I'm really not sure that we can compare the damage. Sex was only a small part of what happened with me. It took a long time to sort the everyday things and their place in how I was feeling. Why did I have reactions to the memory of being given a bracelet that matched hers for my birthday?

Once with a subsequent therapist, I was again exploring my feelings of guilt about being part of "starting a relationship", the new therapist said,"Wait, you are not the one who took the oath to do no harm! You're not the one who sat through yearly ethics classes and then choose to take actions which your profession forbids ". Her words really put the ethics violations in perspective for me.

Yes! I totally avoided anything she taught me for a long time. Her Gaslighting and multiple untruths made it hard to sort out things she taught me as part of grooming me for the future from thoughts and skills which can be useful. When the person you see as the safest individual in your life becomes the most harmful it is hard to know what to trust.

I have a lot ot trouble with this at the moment as sometimes my t seems inappropriate and other times really helpful and i have a lot of helpful and caring things he said in my mind. Then i have the other contradictory feelings. It makes it very confusing

I know some members here are uncomfortable with these sort of discussions and may like to see them in a sub forum , but I grew so much in therapy and regained so much of myself that I was able to see psychological immaturity , gaslighting and blaming and shaming for exactly what it was. Not that I didn't FEEL it , but I SAW it and didn't blame myself. Yes , the monumentally qualified professional in CRAZY !

This is well said. Absolutely true. It sucks when you love and trust someone enough that you become stuck in trauma bonds and Stockholm syndrome. Hurts so much when it happens and the you come to the realization that the only way to heal is to go no contact with that person.

HD7970ghz