Your experience sounds disappointing. However, I would like to validate your decision to keep moving along until you find someone who meets your needs. Research demonstrates that the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist accounts for at least 40% of the effectiveness of therapy.

Though you have been disappointed, I would encourage you to keep looking. I feel sure there is someone out there who can meet your needs.

By the way, I hear you say that taking notes or making a recording seems like the best way for a therapist to remember what was discussed last time. Perhaps I just have a good memory or something but I do not use those tools and I seem able to remember well enough.

I wish you the best in finding what you need.

core energetics in a group worked bestest for me.

Oh interesting. As far as I know, that service is not widely available in my area. I did hear about a family counselor that is part of a social service team in my professional network traveling to client's homes, but most of the private practice people I know have offices where clients come to us.

That sounds like a very legitimate use of the service to me.

I honestly don't know a ton about TA. I know it has gone out of favor, and we were not taught about it as a serious contender in my theories of counseling class. The 5-cent overview I was given suggested TA was developed as a watered-down version of Freudian theory for the masses, but don't quote me on that.

@ejbman Certainly Berne's 366 pages of "What do you say after hello" can be condensed into one sentence - " do you want to go and try to make mutually satisfying love now or after a shower?" ? As always those who did not think of and profit from the theory will disparage it. Is this a reason for snowflakes?

I'm surprised that she didn't use her forefinger to make a cross and hold it up against you!
I have an effigy in the back of my car of a cadaver with red eyes, vampire teeth a pair of horns, a bits of flesh decayed or carved away. I will post a picture when I get home. Here I get two reactions - 1. the hasty Catholic crossing of the chest or the crossed forefingers and averted glance or 2. "Hey Mr can we take a photo of your grandad" ... The latter is a reference to a sign in the car window that says "If you think I'm ugly wait til you see my grandson driving!"

@FrayedBear Haha funny! Come to think of it, had she had a vial of holy water.... for Pete's sake. Jeesh!

@AtheistLatina55 Holy water burns! That would look good on the compo claim form. ???????????

I thank you so much for sharing your experience, although I'm so, so sorry that it turned out the way it did. That person was clearly violating the ethical standards of the profession. Not that I think you should have to endure any more waste of time or exposure to misery, but be aware that the statute of limitations for grievances is 7 years. I would seriously consider notifying the state board in the state where this person practiced that she was harming clients with her bigotry. You probably have grounds to sue for malpractice, even if she is retired - possibly even getting to the deep(er) pockets of the university, who should never have allowed her to practice with that kind of attitude. If it sounds like I am mad at this person, that's because I am. What horrible, unprofessional behavior on her part. Once again, I'm sorry you had to go through that betrayal of your trust by someone to whom you should be able to look to for support. It makes the job of the rest of us who are more ethical and professional that much harder when awful people like that ruin the experience of people who are going to them for help. I guess I would like to assure you that all therapists are not like that, and I hope that you have been able to seek help elsewhere. But nobody could blame you if you at least screened potential therapists in depth in the future to make sure you wouldn't get treated the same way.

Thank you for your encouragement. I am private-pay at this time, but I hope to get on one or more insurance panels in the future so that my services are more accessible to people who need them. Having said that, it is my understanding from speaking with colleagues that relationships with insurance companies can be a major pain, and that they are always working to limit the time we can spend with clients. As with many things in life, it involves tradeoffs.

@ejbman If I get started on insurance we will be here alll day. In short insurance companies have us by the short hairs and are actively interfering with health care in the US.

@HippieChick58 Agreed on all counts.

Thank you very much!

I appreciate your comment, and I disagree with your assessment: you did contribute. I have known a handful of art therapists, and I absolutely believe that such activities can have therapeutic effects. At the very least, doing something you enjoy and which feeds your emotional needs is a wonderful act of self-care, and among the better coping skills.

@ejbman I had a friend who believed that working with people who were engaged in participating in undertaking artistic endeavour were more susceptible to allowing free flow of their historis than if they were sitting face to face where conscious appraisal resulting in censorship was more likely to happen. His art endeavour was making glass jewellery, one of his more favoured pieces being a single bladed razor embedded in glass and sold as a pendant with the instruction "In desperation break glass otherwise call Lifeline number, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) and talk to a trained counselor."

Thats hysterical!

I do the same thing!

ejbman is a buddy of mine, and when he was going to school, he tried using me in one of his class assignments. He was supposed to video a counseling session.

The entire video was just me ranting, I don't think I took a pause to breath long enough for him to get in any counseling...

I wasn't asked to participate again. Not sure why... LoL

@Doug_in_Colorado Lol.

Now, now you two. No need to be so self-critical. Sometimes what we need is the supportive, listening ear of another person. That can be therapeutic all by itself.