While professionalism is essential in any profession, it’s particularly vital for mental health specialists dealing with patients who trust them with a great deal of vulnerability. Breaking that trust and crossing professional boundaries can cause psychological harm, which may put a person in a worse place mentally or deter them from seeking therapy altogether.
A similar thing happened to this woman, whose mental health specialist blamed her for her miscarriages and even asked her to move in with her after she shared about buying a house. Realizing that’s not how anyone should be treated in therapy, the woman decided to report her and never go back.
Unprofessional mental health specialists can cause psychological harm to patients
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This woman shared how not only did her mental health provider make her mental state worse but also asked to move in with her
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Not all patient-therapist duos are compatible
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Good mental health specialists are many things. They are active listeners. They empathize, validate patients’ experiences, and support them. They empower their clients and provide them with tools to take charge of their mental health. Every person can add different things to this list, as therapy is very individual, and what works for one may not work for another.
Sometimes, even when a mental health provider does their best to help a person, the therapist-patient relationship might not be a match, no matter how hard one tries. In such cases, the professional isn’t necessarily bad—they’re just not a right fit. However, that shouldn’t discourage people from seeking help with their mental health.
“There are so many therapists out there working in so many different ways, because there are all shapes and sizes of people,” says Tami Zak, a licensed mental health professional. “It is okay to go find that right person.”
That said, it’s possible to come across bad therapists, too. Their behavior is usually very unethical and sometimes even illegal. The good news is that they are relatively rare, and some red flags can give away that a mental health therapist may be doing more harm than good.
Red flags of bad therapists that shouldn't be ignored
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The first red flag that shouldn’t be ignored is poor listening skills or a lack of empathy. If a mental health professional is dismissing your feelings, ignoring your concerns, minimizing your experiences, dominating the session, and talking over you constantly, these are signs suggesting that the specialist might not be the best option.
During the sessions, the provider should treat their patients with respect and professionalism. This means avoiding oversharing, manipulating, abusing, exploiting, discriminating, yelling, or using inappropriate language.
“Having a sexual relationship, breaching confidentiality, extorting money, practicing outside their area of competence, giving poor advice, or responding based on their issues instead of their clients” are some other unethical behaviors that clinical psychologist Dr. Ryan Howes says bad mental health specialists may exhibit.
The client should also feel safe and comfortable sharing anything during their therapy sessions. If that’s not the case and they feel like their boundaries and privacy are being violated by a mental health specialist, they should take action. Patients should know that they have the right to report their mental health provider and file complaints.
It's important to remove oneself from a therapist who is causing harm
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It’s important that a person remove themselves from a mental health provider once they realize that they’re doing more harm than good, as they can hurt their mental health, which is the complete opposite of what people want from therapy.
“Just one bad experience can shut a person down, turn them off to a new therapist, and leave them disinterested and even disgusted by the entire mental health system,” said clinical psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD.
While it’s understandable that a bad experience and serious trauma caused by a poor choice of mental health specialist might completely turn people off from therapy, they should keep their minds open and not let the one negative experience ruin their pursuit of better mental health.
“Bad experiences are the exception, not the rule, and most people enter this profession with a genuine desire to help people, not to do harm,” clinical psychologist Dr. Howes reassures.
The woman provided more details about the situation in the comments
Readers agreed that the mental health professional's behavior was inappropriate
Later, the woman posted an update:
