Uncomfortable interactions with ex-therapist

@Flutterbug9

Thank you so much for taking the time to look this up for me. It really helps me put my experiences into perspective. After sharing this here, I actually feel a bit braver and more hopeful that I can find a way to stop it. I’ll discuss it with my psychologist first next time I see her, and then I might be able to write a letter or something. It just doesn’t feel right to me that this is going to keep happening.

@SaltwaterSoul To my knowledge and experiences, all counsellors or therapists are bound by some type of confidentiality. Every one I’ve even had appointments with gave me a copy of confidentiality rules applicable to their qualification.

well done for the research you have done of this person. Plus deciding to talk to your psychologist about the situation. Can be challenging to trust someone new when have had any type of negative experience in the past, something I know first hand. Hoping everything continues well with your psychologist

Thank you @Flutterbug9 , I actually feel relieved that I have raised this issue not only with myself but also discussed it here. It feels like I can now do something about it, rather than continuing to sit with that uncomfortable feeling every time I see her and worrying about how to handle it.

I also thought about how the situation might have been different if the roles were reversed. If I were in my ex-therapist’s position, I would try to avoid putting a former client in a situation where their confidentiality could be exposed. However, if something like that did happen, I believe I would have taken responsibility for managing the conversation and redirected it myself, rather than leaving that responsibility to the client.

I'll keep you all updated how it went.

@tyme @Glisten

Hey @Flutterbug9 , how's it all going with the ex-therapist etc? Did you end up asking your current psych to see what they think? I can see it had a strong impact on you.

Not my situation @tyme

@I was supporting @SaltwaterSoul

Hey @SaltwaterSoul ,

Counselling and psychology are similar in some ways, but also very different. From what I know (I'm open to being corrected), counselling is less 'regulated' than psychology. Hence, a psychologist must be registered with AHPRA, and counsellors don't have to.

On top of that, social work is another layer. They have their own association, but it is not compulsory to be part of it (unless it is for particular roles).

So yes, each have their own codes of conduct, and therefore can differ.

---

@tyme wrote:

Hey @Flutterbug9 , how's it all going with the ex-therapist etc? Did you end up asking your current psych to see what they think? I can see it had a strong impact on you.

---

Erghhh... sorry @Flutterbug9 ! I tagged the wrong person! I had @SaltwaterSoul in my mind and my fingers went too fast.

Hi @tyme @Flutterbug9 @Glisten

I haven’t been on here for a while. I’ve been dealing with a trauma anniversary, and things have been really tough lately.. ☹️

But, I just wanted to give a bit of an update. I’ve now sorted things out. I spoke to my psychologist, who was very supportive. She reassured me that what happened shouldn’t have occurred and acknowledged how uncomfortable and exposed the situation made me feel. I ended up writing a letter to set a boundary, asking her not to interact with me anymore because it makes me too uncomfortable. I tried to keep it short, I had some help with the wording. Not over-explaining myself which is quite easy to do sometimes...

I haven’t seen her since. My psychologist advised that if I do see her, I can simply acknowledge her and keep moving, as it’s not my responsibility to manage her feelings, she’s a professional and can handle that herself. She also said that if the contact continues, I may need to take it further, but hopefully setting that boundary will be enough.

It was a huge relief to talk about this with my psychologist, and that was thanks to you all. Before this, I kept thinking I might be overthinking it or that it wasn’t a big deal. But with your support, I felt brave enough to do something about it and get the help I needed. So thank you for reading and for your support, it really helped me. 🙏

Glad to hear things have massively improved.

thanks for the update @SaltwaterSoul 💐

Good on you @SaltwaterSoul . So glad to hear you felt supported after speaking to your psych. Kudos to you for taking the step to write that letter.

We are here for you. Hope things improve. We look forward to hearing from you.