Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy – A Personal Case Study
My Therapist Needed a Good Therapist but Used Me Instead
Research indicates that therapists often overestimate their effectiveness, with many believing most clients improve, despite evidence showing typical deterioration rates of 5-10%. The more self-confident a therapist, the more blind to their clients' deterioration they may be. This post sums up published research into therapists' blind spots.
The concept of closure has evolved, misleadingly suggesting an external remedy for emotional pain after loss or trauma. While academic definitions focus on cognitive resolution, popular culture presents closure as an attainable goal through conversations or gestures. True healing lies in integrating experiences and accepting ambiguity rather than relying on others for closure.
I wrote the apology I wish Sam had had the courage to write to me. (Warning, really long and totally theoretical.)
What happened after leaving Sam.
If you wondered about Sam's honesty while I saw her, wait until you see what I discovered when my attorney requested her notes.
I make my exit and never speak to her again afterwards.
Our last arguments, almost, where everything became unhinged and continuing to see her became untenable.
I visit Sam at her Watertown office to see what it would be like to be in the room with her again. It was the beginning of the end.
When Sam's niece dies suddenly, I became her therapist comforting her.
We went back to twice weekly sessions, but it only made things worse as Sam disclosed more and more, making me feel closer and closer as she both implied and explicitly spoke about our intimate relationship.
Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy - A Personal Case Study 