Everyone wonders what their therapist thinks of them. Mostly, we want to know if they think we're normal. Sometimes we want to know if we're their favorite patient. I now had some idea: she wanted me to like her.
The Beginning
Author: Matt
I am a survivor of therapist abuse. I'm here to share my story because while I was going through the worst of it, I couldn't find stories similar to mine -- male patient, female therapist -- and felt more alone than I needed to be. I am here to share and offer a way for others to share their stories as well.
Who I Am, Why I’m Writing This
Patients aren’t usually the authors of case studies, but I thought it was important to document how this happened, the impact these boundary violations had on me, and some of the flags I missed along the way.
Things I Know About My Former Therapist (But Shouldn’t)
Here is a short and incomplete list of things that I know about my former therapist.
What Makes This More Than A Story
You're going to read about my breakdown. I'll introduce myself and a pseudonym for my former therapist in another post. What makes this more than just me telling my story is that I will post recordings, images of texts and emails, and some of her notes.
Boundary Violations – A Simple Intro
It is fundamental that anyone who goes to a therapist is there to get help with their own problems, not to be a solution to the therapist’s. That's not how it turned out in this case. Here's a little explainer on boundaries and why they're important in therapy.
Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy - A Personal Case Study 