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No therapist is perfect, and the therapy journey itself can be uncomfortable (for good reasons!), so knowing when to act on what could be 'red flags' in therapy can sometimes get confusing.
According to a Psychology Today article, some of the warning signs of a bad therapist include talking excessively about themselves, refusing to accept constructive criticism, and avoiding talking about what the process will look like.
"Other warning signs include: being judgmental or critical of the client’s choices or lifestyle, appearing bored or distracted during sessions, treating the client as emotionally or intellectually inferior, or seeming easily overwhelmed or upset by information the client discloses."
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Some specific phrases that give away that a therapist is acting unprofessionally are “There’s not much we can do about that” and “You just have to suck it up/do it/snap out of it.”
These phrases imply the minimization of the problem and hinder faith in mental health professionals, which is one of the most important things about treatment. When a therapist is unsure of what can be done for a specific patient's situation, they should see it as a learning curve and seek supervision and withhold commentary, like the phrases mentioned just above.
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