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On just her third visit to a therapist for a mood disorder, when it was revealed that her boyfriend is an atheist and she is Christian, the therapist recommended that she break up with him. Is this malpractice? Keep in mind that the main motivation behind employing the therapist was to improve the relationship. She did break up (with the therapist), but was the therapist being unethical?
On just her third visit to a therapist for a mood disorder, when it was revealed that her boyfriend is an atheist and she is Christian, the therapist recommended that she break up with him. Is this malpractice? Keep in mind that the main motivation behind employing the therapist was to improve the relationship. She did break up (with the therapist), but was the therapist being unethical?
It isn't malpractice, it may be rude, it may be inappropriate under the circumstances of why she is seeing him, but not malpractice. She should see someone else, obviously this guy isn't going to help her.
On just her third visit to a therapist for a mood disorder, when it was revealed that her boyfriend is an atheist and she is Christian, the therapist recommended that she break up with him. Is this malpractice? Keep in mind that the main motivation behind employing the therapist was to improve the relationship. She did break up (with the therapist), but was the therapist being unethical?
No.
Since you weren't in the session you can have no way of knowing in what context the therapist may have suggested such a thing.
There can be valid reasons that you don't understand, and that which your friend doesn't WANT to understand, for why this may be important to her mental health.
Encourage her to find another therapist, and not to let this experience be a reason she doesn't seek help
big assumptions are being made about the recommendation to break up with the boyfriend.
first, do you actually know for sure that this is what was being "recommended"?
second, do you actually know the reasons for the supposed "recommendation"?
third, you don't state what relationship the person in therapy is to you - so i have to ask, what business is this of yours?
people sometimes go into therapy with the expectation of hearing some advice that they want to hear, to support a course of action they wish to take - could that have been the case here? people often find it hard to accept even sound advice, if its not something they wish to hear.
For the sake of argument, let's assume that she said she sometimes felt incomplete or empty because she would never be able to share her faith and pray together. However, there was likely no deeper revelation about a religious conflict during this 50 minute session. It seems to me that while this issue should be explored and deeply reflected upon by both him and her, the immediate conclusion and directive by the therapist was inappropriate at best. Again, the reason for going to the therapist had to do with a mood disorder that predates this relationship. And the stated goal of therapy was to combat the disorder to strengthen this and ALL of her familial relationships. It seems that the therapist could be giving advice based on her own religious beliefs, and if so, this strikes me as highly unethical. Based on this interpretation, is it unethical?
This is interesting . I once went to a therapist mainly because of indecision and inability to focus on what I really wanted.
I hated my job; she advised me to quit as I was capable of better things.
Well, I stayed with the job and do regret not thinking better of myself. Of course, telling me to just quit was a little odd, as I didn't yet have the skills to get where I wanted to be. So for that time being I would have had to stay there anyway.
A few years later, I went to another therapist after a personal tragedy. She told me to stay at the job even though I hated it.
Now I'm near retirement. I don't know why, but when I go through life transitions I feel it's good to talk to a therapist.
I've told this one how much I can't wait to leave a job I have hated for 30+ years. And she has told me to stay there!
So, no matter what, it comes down to you knowing yourself. This therapist may have a point, though!
I'm not sure if it's unethical for a therapist to tell you to leave your job if you hate it. It may be unwise though.
In my case I should have talked to a financial advisor/career counselor all these years !
Could I have held the therapist liable if I had quit my job years ago and ended up destitute? I would think not.
I might be... I also might be the therapist or even the woman that went to the therapist. Whoever I am, I wanted to get honest feedback based on the scenario that I presented. I'm not sure why it is so hard for people to offer up an opinion on what was presented. Its not like I'm going to subpoena anyone to testify in court. SMH...
I might be... I also might be the therapist or even the woman that went to the therapist. Whoever I am, I wanted to get honest feedback based on the scenario that I presented. I'm not sure why it is so hard for people to offer up an opinion on what was presented. Its not like I'm going to subpoena anyone to testify in court. SMH...
You got "honest feedback", but what you appear to really have wanted was someone to agree with you that the therapist in this scenario did anything wrong
FYI, the therapist did not do anything "unethical".
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