Posted by CrazyGuy on March 26, 2004, at 17:27:17
In reply to Therapist and horniness, posted by katt on March 26, 2004, at 16:58:59
Wow! Sounds like a difficult situation for you. Just so I'm clear, did he ever see you as a patient and then refuse to continue seeing you out of the blue? Or, after your initial consultation did he refer you to somebody else for an unspecified reason (probably because he was attracted to you and knew he couldn't deal with seeing you as a patient)? Actually, I have been researching this situation online and as best I can tell, there is some division in the "professional" community about this (i.e. having a social/sexual relationship with client from years ago). Some are of the opinion that "once a patient, always a patient" (and thus always "off-limits") and others think that the specifics of each case are important to determining if it's ethical/unethical. (I think the situation may be different for psychiatrists (MDs) than for non-MDs.) And, in terms of possible professional ramifications (e.g. losing one's license), I think it varies by state. I definitely hear you about therapists being human and "screwed up" like the rest of us, but I would encourage you NOT to let this experience prompt you to write off ALL therapists ever. I've had experience with several over the years -- some have been horrendous, others great, still others I didn't realize their wisdom/insight until years later. Good luck.
poster:CrazyGuy
thread:328719
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040324/msgs/328818.html