Posted by Dinah on July 13, 2005, at 17:44:53
In reply to Re: Wait a minute, posted by pegasus on July 12, 2005, at 21:25:46
I dunno. I think that a therapist should think about whether something really is a problem before scaring a client and undermining the trust in the therapeutic relationship. Since it turned out she decided she didn't have to report it, why did she have to say that she might have to until she looked into it? Couldn't she have just cautioned that she has to report child abuse and that the client should realize the limits of confidentiality?
My therapist and I got into a major trust disturbing disagreement because I was depressed, with suicidal impulses, and he kept asking if I had any thoughts of hurting my son. There was never ever any indication that I had ever done anything to my son. I think in his entire life, I swatted his diapered tush (he didn't even realize it with that padding) exactly once when he was climbing the TV. And once I yelled at him to shut up. There was absolutely no reason other than sensationalized media reports for my therapist to think that I was any danger to my son. And I was hurt. The first time I just told him of course not. The second time I told him that I was hurt that he would think I would do that, and he defended himself by saying he was required to ask. The third time, I told him that if he didn't know me well enough by now to realize that the only person in the world I would ever harm was myself, then he didn't know me at all. He considered it in the time before the next session (after getting a bit defensive again) and admitted that yes, he did know me that well. He didn't ask again. And rightly so. Because if my mother is still hale and hearty, my son is in no danger.
poster:Dinah
thread:526232
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050706/msgs/527232.html