Helpful links for help if you have been abused by your therapist

What are the signs and what do you do
http://www.advocateweb.org/home.php?page_id=2

http://www.survivingtherapistabuse.c...you-need-help/

http://www.therapyabuse.org/TP_dangersigns.htm

http://www.therapyabuse.org/papersColumbiaJan.htm

http://www.therapyabuse.org/papersPenfold.htm

http://www.popan.org.uk/

http://www.labswe.org/No_sex.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/WITNESS2007

Sex In The Forbidden Zone

http://www.youtube.com/user/WITNESS2.../1/1GkbMOYm9Z8

http://www.youtube.com/user/WITNESS2.../2/wYKUx8DYbtw

A list of books that can help

http://www.therapyabuse.org/RS_sugreadings.htm



For knowing you are not alone-it happens to many

http://www.citizen.org/publications/release.cfm?ID=6936
1994 report of percentages

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=934

http://www.citizen.org/publications/release.cfm?ID=6615

http://www.kspope.com/sexiss/sexencyc.php

http://www.therapyabuse.org/papers.htm

Thank you for posting these links. This type of abuse is very isolating. Advocateweb was a lifeline for me in dealing with all the left over wreckage. I was also lucky enough to work with an amazing therapist who "gets it." She's treated multiple victims of abuse by therapists, ministers, etc.

Here is the link I found: http://primal-page.com/sexclie.htm

BINGO !!
I've put off looking at this because of the title of the forum.
Why is it not correctly titled " Romantic feelings toward CLIENTS " ?

Tom S.

website with a lot of unethical T's behaviors that have been charged.

http://psychcrimereporter.wordpress.com

What about help for clients who have been emotionallyabused by a former therapist? Its not always sexual types of abuse that hurt a client.

yes please emotional abuse by a counselor links would be very helpful

http://stoptherapyabuse.webs.com/

Thanks for the links. I was sexually abused and ended up in some "weird kind" of relationship with my psychiatrist. For the first 2 years in the mid 1990's after my breakdown he was fine. Then he started talking and asking things of a personal sexual nature and then gradually touched me and kissed me and well.......I can sure you can guess the rest. He was also nearly 25 years my senior and married. The worst part is I thought I really meant something to him. But I found out years later that I was one of about 30 woman that complained about him to the Medical Board. He was suspended for 6 months, then practiced only with supervision. Then a bigger case was put forward including myself and many other female sexual victims and he was going to be struck off. He knew he would lose, so he didn't fight the case.
Then I found out he was practicing in England as a psychiatrist where they had no idea of what he had done here in Australia. I was horrified after I learnt of this. I then googled his name and found that finally his abuse of women in Australia had caught up with him in England, where he was forced to stop practising psychiatry, at the then age of 72. Unbelievable but true and no I am not joking. He knew I had been sexually abused as a child, had PTSD and other symptoms. I am still damaged because of what he did to me. I wish I could forget all of it, but I can't. As at times he still haunts me within my mind.

I now happily have a very ethical psychiatrist for 10 years now. He was the one who finally made me realised that I suffered from borderline personality disorder and some histrionic pd symptoms as well. I've been able to minimise over the years alot of the traits that have made my life hell for years. It's not easy and at times it's still a real struggle when life's stressor's get out of control. However because of him, I am still alive and I've been happily married for quite some time now.

Please get help!!! To those of you who have been sexually or otherwise abused by your therapist/psych. It's so important. It's not easy, but I know it can be done!

I have had major depression for 25 yrs and been to numerous counselors. I have left some of them just because I did not feel he/she were helping. Also because we just did not seem to be on the same page. I have never been abused, the only thing I can say about my experiences is that I feel I might have been neglected. He/she was looking around the room and I felt not listening or caring about anything I said.

The most important thing EVERYONE NEEDS TO REMEMBER is that he/she works for you.
If you feel uncomfortable or that you are not getting any positive results by the 4th or 5th session, FIND a different therapist. They are just like medication they all work differently with different people. Anyone should LEAVE the moment he/she starts any discussions about sex.

I have never had a therapist ask me about sex. If the subject came up at all I brought it up to emphasize what kind of abuse I had been through. When I had finished what I had to say about the abuse there was no more discussion concerning sex in any way.

Some people are at the therapist for sexual issues but be positive that this is their expertise. Check with the board to see if there have been any complaints against them.

This article that I wrote has already helped many survivors

How to Avoid Getting Abused in Psychotherapy - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Thank you for posting this. It is so hard to read the posts of people wanting to have a relationship with their therapists and not scream over and over - there is no way you can enter that relationship with truly informed consent and There is no way to balance the power differential.

I'm a reader, and have read many books- but still haven't found one describing a successful marriage or long term partnership between a client and therapist, or exploring that topic.

I learned the hard way about being in an abusive relationship with my former therapist-then found out she had been cited 3 times before-a lady in need for sure!!

Emotional abuse by therapists is actually more common than sexual, but, interestingly enough, very little is written about it. It's, probably, because it is difficult to prove.

In any case, anyone who was emotionally abused by the therapist can visit my website mentioned in my profile signature. You can also talk to me privately if you need further information and/or support. It's better to contact me through the website but if you want to PM me on PC that's ok too.

I just want to notify people in advance that I don't give advice, I don't do online therapy or counseling of any sort and that my idea of support may be different from what you expect. I simply tell how I see the situation and it's up to you to accept my input or not. I always validate the victims by condemning the wrongdoing on the part of the therapist, which doesn't mean that I would necessarily see the whole situation the same way they see it. I will share how I dealt with the abuse at the hands of my therapists, how I've been healing the trauma so far and what I have learned from all my experiences. If that's good enough for you, I'd be glad to be of help.

I was also fortunate to find Advocateweb after the abuse. Their forum and articles provided invaluable assistance at a critical time. I found a wonderful therapist who treats patients who have experienced therapist and professional exploitation.

Thank you for providing these resources. There is no one to talk to when you are first being victimized. Who would you trust?

I too would like to add my acknowledgement of AdvocateWeb as a wonderful resource for those who found themselves in this unfortunate situation. For me it was the most helpful resource I came across. It is very sad that it was eventually shut down. Their forum was very informative and it felt like the safest place to discuss all aspects of abuse in therapy. The person who was in charge moderated it very well. All discussions there were helpful and supportive while, at the same time, allowing for all kinds of opinions to be expressed. Since it was shut down I haven't found any place online where it would be really safe for people with this kind of issue to find support and information. Sad..

Most of the links in the original post are dead as well as the Yahoo Voices post.

Surviving Therapist Abuse seems to be current
Surviving Therapist Abuse ? Resources and Support for Healing

T.E.L.L. Therapy Exploitation Link Line
TELL: Therapy Exploitation Link Line

AdvocateWeb is not as operational as it once was but the web site is up. It has some good articles and information.
AdvocateWeb -

Therapist. The rapist. Sometimes I wonder.

omg

i just clicked on that link advocate web. i have never seen it before. im crying right now. i dont think i rrealized how alone i felt in this until i read all of this in plain english.. that it has happened to others and it is devastating, and im not alone

(((JD)))
I have talked with dozens of people who have had this happen to them. This problem is so great- there are (good) mental health professionals in practice who actually specialize in this field. I mean this is such a huge problem...mental health professionals actually specialize in it. My PrevT is one of them. There are hundreds of professional articles and books devoted to the harm and sequelae of therapist abuse.

I emailed T.E.L.L. recently (not knowing what to ask for) and a retired psychiatrist whose name I recognize in the field kindly emailed me back....

I'm trying to say, no, you're not alone. And there are people who want to help.

This is a terrible issue. When it happens- it's difficult to find support. First, who do we discuss it with? Family and friends rarely understand. See a therapist? Why would we even trust another health professional after what we've been through? There are no group therapy meetings (there used to be one I knew about at UCLA years ago.)

But we can network online. Therapist/client abuse can isolate us, making us think we are the only one this has happened to...and make us think no one can possibly identify with us. But we are not alone.

JD, please let me know if there is any information I can give you that might help...I can tell you names of mental health professionals in this field. You can read their articles/books. You can contact them, if you think that would help.
Just any way I can help, please let me know.

I forgot to add another which is operated by a PC poster-

About ? Therapy Consumer Guide

Yes, the Yahoo Voices post no longer exists because Yahoo Voices went out of business. That post was actually my article that I originally wrote for my website. Fortunately, since it is my post and it existed on my website before it was posted on Yahoo Voices, it is still there. You can read it here Search Results for ?how to avoid getting abused? ? Therapy Consumer Guide

My website www.therapyconsumerguide.com in general has a lot of information for those who have been emotionally abused by therapists so check it out. I try to write more for the general public who are not very knowledgeable or sophisticated about the subject of therapy so you may know a lot of stuff I write about. If you can't find what you are looking for in terms of dealing with emotional abuse in therapy let me know and I'll try to fill the gaps.

AdvocateWeb was a great help for me in my process of filing a complaint and gaining my ground. They were very supportive emotionally and gave me a lot of helpful information. The most helpful resource by far. They also used to have a forum which I enjoyed a lot. Later it was closed, unfortunately.

I agree with all of the above, except for saying move on if there has been no progress after 4 or 5 sessions.
If you like the T, but things aren't moving along immediately I would suggest that even starting to undo a lifetime of issues/ denial/ abuse / avoidance. Will take longer than a few session.
However if your not feeling it, maybe discuss before moving on. They may have an idea of someone better suited to you.