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News 14 Safeguards For Therapists

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You know, after reading what @Eleanor wrote, it's occurred to me that one of the things that set me off about this article was the "liar" bit. I kind of have a "thing" about lying, liars, etc, and about people just broadly labeling others as "liars" without adequate reasons too. I appreciate the more nuanced view.

My other big red flag was the she seems to think she's "treating disorders" not people. Even a narcissist is a person (sort of?).
If I was a T I don't think I'd be brave/something enough to try to treat people with full blown "Narcissism, Schizotypal, Paranoid, and Anti-Social" personality disorders who've found their way into therapy because they need it for some court something or other.
My T has said the he doesn't like working with people in those groups, mostly because it's rare that any of them want to "get better". He kind of thinks everyone can learn and everyone can work their whole lives, to become better versions of who they really are. He enjoys helping with that sort of thing. He doesn't find it to be as interesting, working with people who aren't motivated to grow. (And learning to be a better psychopath doesn't count.)

To me, it would have been a better article if she had been more precise in her language. Her responses to the comments kind of reinforced my "I'm glad I'm not working with HER" reaction. She pretty much modeled her advice, by refusing to engage with anyone. Goody for her, for that. I guess. But the dismissive tone of that kind of reinforced the "lumping everyone together/ no one else has anything valid to say" feeling I got from the original article. (And that thought just made me pause to wonder if maybe she has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. LOL Not fair. I know.)
 
I will concede that, if her clientele consists of individuals looking to use therapy in order to manipulate the courts or their families, her advice may be appropriate. Looking at her website(s), however, it would appear that she probably does not deal with this population - and if she does, I'm guessing it's a very rare thing. It would also appear that she hasn't been a counselor for very long - which reinforces my thought that she probably doesn't have a lot of "professional" experience with these populations.

That said, she has published a number of blog posts about narcissists. If I were to venture a guess, there is someone in her past or present that fits the DSM criteria for this disorder and that person has caused her a great deal of pain. This, of course, is my arm chair psychoanalyzing....I am not a licensed therapist - I just play one at the computer ;)
 
I don't feel that there is any nuance to this article, at all. This woman legit says that people with PDs cannot be trusted, to always be watching them, always comparing their stories against what they've said before (and with PTSD in the mix? Really? Where our memories are already hazy due to dissociation, remembering one thing and then remembering another thing, the color of the walls, the day of the week, the time...)

someone's going to be writing down every little thing I say and compare it against every other thing, and then determine I'm lying based on their interpretation of my neurology? And that's the way you f*cking do therapy?????

My mom is Borderline and if this woman was her therapist I would eviscerate her.

People like my mom who have BPD or people who have APD or DPD, or schizotypal, these disorders don't have ANYTHING to do with the empathy process and you absolutely cannot lump them in with ASPD and NPD. ASPD and NPD require an ENTIRELY different set of client management skills- and I hope to f*cking god that they still include some basic human decency.

But, ya know, I suppose ASPD and NPD just aren't humans so you can treat them however you want, and take all of your rage and your abuse and your pain out on them in the therapeutic setting. That is wrong. I'm sorry, it's wrong. That's why we have laws against cruel and unusual punishment, because you don't get off parading yourself around as a therapist while venting your rage on your clients.

Sure, with an ASPD client or an NPD client you can be absolutely sure they're trying to manipulate the therapeutic process, but you know what, you go into it with that, listen to what they're telling you, try to introduce some new perspectives and self-monitoring habits, try to guide them through cognitive behavior the best you can, and if you fail, you f*cking fail! You f*cking just fail! Because their brain development is off! Because that's f*cking ASPD and psychopathy and everything else!

You don't treat actual human beings like garbage receptacles for your f*cked up philosophy, you don't develop this, "let's create people who don't get any value out of therapy but who still come back, thank god for the Cash Cows" mentality over it, you don't dissect every single thing they say like "A ha! Guess I confirmed that they display symptoms OF THEIR DIAGNOSED DISORDER!"

You don't literally open the article with, "these people sure are entertaining, aren't they! Hahahaha I'm a therapist :roflmao: "

Jesus f*ck.
 
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@StellaBlue i will take my camera to therapy Tuesday and get a photo of the chart. It's part of a flip chart and isn't huge, and I think you'll be able to make out the words.
I was given a dx of BPD many years ago and I don't like the stigma attached to it. My current therapist said he would not have given that dx but explained that the symptoms of BPD overlap with PTSD. So does anxiety and depression and attachment issues and so on. He prefers that I not get hung up on the label.
 
The discussion section where the article is posted has quite a lively discussion. Apparently of her self proclaimed 15 years of experience... only 2 and a half are so are in her new profession. Her claim of being award winning... well three local civic awards. She authored a book and I took a glance at it on Amazon. Not impressed. I also took a look at her Bio... and was further less impressed.
 
Heh... yeah really. "EWS" Exhausted Woman Syndrome... just another soccer mom turned "mental health professional" looking to cash in on being burned out.... take a gander at her youtube... I was alternatively eye rolling and sneering. She is clearly in the wrong field:


I am embarrassed that she is practicing in my state, quite frankly. "Hey I've done it... I'm not exhausted anymore!!!" Eh no thanks.
 
...This, of course, is my arm chair psychoanalyzing....I am not a licensed therapist - I just play one at the computer ;)
Heh Stella, apparently this author/mental health professional is as well (playing one at the computer). I can't believe they put that "article" up, neither can the forum members there on the site.
 
Sounds like a lightweight to me. Not someone seriously involved in treating major mental disorders....

And I kind of worry about her kid - the one who she "still doesn't know why she did that." Honestly, there are not so many things that I don't eventually understand why my daughter does. I guess if she is throwing shoes out the window she is mad, or trying to get everything to stop and focus on her. Seems pretty rational to me.

Anybody can publish anything on the web... Quality control is... expensive.
 
I did not see this article in the same light as many others clearly did. It states that it is about ANTISOCIAL Personality Disorder. Not all PD's. You cannot assume she is using it to refer to all PDs.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg77/documents/personality-disorders-antisocial-final-scope2

You will note here that deceitfulness is a part of the diagnostic criteria. It is not a judgment it is part of the disorder.
Not all personality disorders are the same, and I do not see the author as being disrespectful or offensive.
 
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