Have you ever been attached to your counsellor/key worker or any professional you see or have seen?

Question

I was just wondering. I know all about how it's not right and the ethical stuff etc so please don't give a lecture on that. In my opinion it's hard to be completely seprate and feel no emotion for people your confiding in...so i was wondering if anyone wanted to talk about their experiences or what they think on this.

thanks

x

Answer 1

It is actually quite common and happens a lot in such an intimate relationship as therapist and client.  I was really attached to my first therapist when I was in graduate school and saw her for 2 1/2 years.  She became a surrogate parent figure in my life, almost, and I think it was almost to the point of being unhealthy, as I look back on it.  I was (as someone else noted) pretty crushed when she left the agency to go to another job.

Answer 2

I really liked my therapist (like a best friend) when I was 15 because he was always there for me even when he wasn't on duty. He always went out of his way to make sure I was alright and things were good at home. I needed help a couple years ago (21years old now) cuz I was losing grip,but then found out he didn't work with adults...only children and teenagers. I was heart broken because he was the only one I trusted.

Answer 3

well i had a key worker thing.

i wouldnt say attached but i did get on with the person like a friend which is good, so then i could talk because i trusted them.

Answer 4

Yes, very much so when I was seeing a psychologist many years ago. They stopped me from seeing her anymore though, which sent me into a phase of nihilism which lasted for quite some time.

Answer 5

I got attached to a counsellor before and it broke my heart when she left to go another job. She was there for me whenever i needed her and most importantly i could trust her. I'm now a bit stand off-ish with new counsellors as I don't want to feel heart broken again if they leave.

Answer 6

It's not unusual to find yourself becoming attached to a counsellor/therapist because you tell them things which most of the time you would not dare tell yourself.

You are confiding your most inner feelings and thoughts to them which make it a very emotive relationship, together with the fact they are helping you along lifes pathway.

I think what makes your counsellor attractive is that they listen intently to you and this makes you feel valued and creates a bond to an extent, albeit only on your part.  I'm sure counsellor's/therapists etc are well trained, well disciplined and know the boundaries and how to keep the relationship professional.

I got on so well with one of my support workers, she was agency staff, that I felt that if she hadn't been my support worker and I'd met her in different circumstances that we would have been good friends - on a good day I'd have her in stitches and would help her learn more about disability benefits.  She used to leave sometimes and I'd think I'm not sure who benefits most from these visits.

One thing I do remember when I saw a pyschotherapist is that I must have told him just about everything about my background, upbringing etc whereas I knew absolutely nothing about him.  Not once did he reveal a single thing about himself.

Answer 7

It is not unusual.  I had huge desire to get my hands on my psychotherapist, unfortunately she was a lot smarter than me and not having any of it.  But it is not unusual.  Uk person centred therapy lends itself to those feelings both ways.  We're only human.

Answer 8

I went far beyond being attached to a Community Psychiatric Nurse I had a few years ago. I fell completely in love with her. I couldn't appreciate it at the time but it prevented me from getting better and made me much more depressed and closer to suicide than I had been before.

When she left I was absolutely devastated and it took me about a year to get over it. Once I had got over it I slowly but surely improved.

Unfortunately, it has stopped me from fully engaging with the mental health professionals I've subsequently seen out of a fear if it happening again.

It has also made me incredibly wary of forming any type of close relationship with anyone.

I think that when you're in a situation of almost total social isolation and suddenly you have someone who is listening to all your problems, it difficult not to form some strong emotional attachment to them. Particularly if you are in any way vulberable.

Although the sessions I had with her coming to an end was extremely painful, it was necessary for me to get better. If I was still seeing her now there is now way I could have progressed.