Do you think a lot of psychologists and therapists are nuts?

[Teacher Terry]

Therapists help people find the solution that is right for the clients. We can all have the same problem and all solve it in different ways. Like in every profession there is good and bad people.

[goodheathen]

It doesn't help the reputation and popularity (consumption) of any field to have many bad apples in it. Untreated/undertreated mental illness very likely will make someone unreliable or worse at his or her job.

Of the three people then/now in the psychology field that I've personally known (not worked with)…

One is neurotic and probably wouldn't dispute that. I think I once tried asking that person if the field is full of people with problems, but that person then pointed the finger at psychiatrists.
Another has a significant psychological problem that fooled me, probably because the person already had it somewhat under control. Now the person offers therapy to others with the condition, based largely on personal experience battling it. (That seems fine with me.)
The third is publicly known as nuts and prior to that did what I guess would be called counseling. Not having known that person when really in the field or before, I'd still guess that individual always seemed abnormal.

[phantompilot]

I do, because everyone I know who has gone into the field has had a lot of FOO problems, relationship problems, commitment issues. Just overall more turbulence in their personal realm than seems typical, is perhaps the best way I can characterize it. No definitive way to really say why this is, but I do have a theory: that they are mostly of high intelligence and also far more neurotic than the average person. They tend to live more in their heads than most people do, and are more focused on emotions in general - not just their own but those of others.

This includes members of my own family, where I have had a good opportunity to observe a large portion of their personal lives, as well as long-term friends.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by goodheathen

One is neurotic and probably wouldn't dispute that. I think I once tried asking that person if the field is full of people with problems, but that person then pointed the finger at psychiatrists.
Another has a significant psychological problem that fooled me, probably because the person already had it somewhat under control. Now the person offers therapy to others with the condition, based largely on personal experience battling it. (That seems fine with me.)
The third is publicly known as nuts and prior to that did what I guess would be called counseling. Not having known that person when really in the field or before, I'd still guess that individual always seemed abnormal.

Allow me to add a fourth point: therapists suffer from delusions of grandeur. They're convinced that they own the client's mind, and therefore know their feelings better than the client themselves. Hence, the gaslighting: "How did that make you feel?" / "Such and such." / "Don't lie to me! You know you didn't feel that!" Basically, anything outside the therapist's textbook training and personal beliefs is "lying" and/or "being resistant". So how do you convince the therapist that you're telling the truth? Usually, you can't . Their delusion that they own your mind is too damn strong. I've had such therapists. Lucky for me, I was able to quickly figure out what answers they were looking for, and gave those answers exclusively, even if they were lies.

Oh, and "counseling" is a misnomer, it seems. "Counseling" means advising. But unless we're talking about career counselors (who are generally pretty helpful), counselors don't give you advice. The worst part is that they're dishonest about it. Instead telling you truthfully that they can't/won't do it, they dodge the question, thinking you won't catch them in the lie. And when caught, they try to "save face" by accusing you of being "resistant" . When in reality, they expose the sham the whole therapy industry really is.

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

Allow me to add a fourth point: therapists suffer from delusions of grandeur. They're convinced that they own the client's mind, and therefore know their feelings better than the client themselves. Hence, the gaslighting: "How did that make you feel?" / "Such and such." / "Don't lie to me! You know you didn't feel that!" Basically, anything outside the therapist's textbook training and personal beliefs is "lying" and/or "being resistant". So how do you convince the therapist that you're telling the truth? Usually, you can't . Their delusion that they own your mind is too damn strong. I've hadsuch therapists. Lucky for me, I was able to quickly figure out
Oh, and "counseling" is a misnomer, it seems. "Counseling" means advising. But unless we're talking about career counselors (who are generally pretty helpful), counselors don't give you advice. The worst part is that they're dishonest about it. Instead telling you truthfully that they're can't/won't do it, they dodge the question, thinking you won't catch them in the lie. And when caught, they try to "save face" by accusing you of being "resistant" . When in reality, they expose the sham the whole therapy industry really is.

Haven't you said all this before? Did someone or something force you into counseling? Because it is idiotic to pay money to go to a counselor and use all the time just figuring out "what answers they were looking for, and gave those answers exclusively." Sounds like what you'd do if it was court-ordered or you were a minor and your parents wanted you to go.

In other words - you really didn't want to go, you had no reason to go for yourself and you resented the hell out of it. Not the ideal candidate and not the person I'd want an objective opinion from if I was considering it for myself. You really have a bone to pick that goes far beyond just your opinion of therapy, I'd guess.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by reneeh63

Haven't you said all this before? Did someone or something force you into counseling? Because it is idiotic to pay money to go to a counselor and use all the time just figuring out "what answers they were looking for, and gave those answers exclusively." Sounds like what you'd do if it was court-ordered or you were a minor and your parents wanted you to go.

In other words - you really didn't want to go, you had no reason to go for yourself and you resented the hell out of it. Not the ideal candidate and not the person I'd want an objective opinion from if I was considering it for myself. You really have a bone to pick that goes far beyond just your opinion of therapy, I'd guess.

Be that as it may, how else do you deal with a delusional idiot who thinks they own your mind? They obviously won't look past their textbook training and personal beliefs! And the only reason I started doing it is because the therapist refused to believe anything else.

Come to think of it, figuring out how to give the answers people want isn't a bad skill to learn in therapy. It helps with bosses at work.

[CarolinaMoon1]

In my experience, most people who go into mental health fields do so because of a deep desire to help, having discovered that they have a natural inclination for connecting empathically with people. Most also take their responsibility to protect client welfare very seriously, have studied a long time in credentialed academic programs, and would never want to contribute to or perpetuate any perception that "a lot of psychologists and therapists are nuts."

Isn't this a bit like the stereotype of attorneys being unethical and physicians being egotistical? I admit that I've bought into these stereotypes sometimes and joked about them, so I'm going to do better about monitoring myself to not reinforce these perceptions.