Are The Majority Of Therapists Crazy?

[Amus]

When you're in crisis you really need the therapist to be accurate
in their stated abilities and be EMPATHETIC. This last quality seems to be
sorely lacking in a number of therapists and it seems to me to be the most
vital one. Some therapists can fake the empathy when you're all shiny
and new (and not talking about the hard stuff), but are downright callous
when you want to unpack the trauma and get down to the hard stuff. Or
their billable hours went up and are feeling flush with easier clients and want
you to keep it mellow or leave.

Because lets face it. It's easier to talk about someone's grief about their
nice old granny's death, than listen to stories of physical assault and rape.
It can be traumatizing for the therapist if they aren't ready or trained for it.
And I suspect even for the competent, empathic and professional therapists
it can be traumatizing. Taking home the job kind of thing. That's why it makes
sense for the rates they charge. Really again, for me it's way better that spending
more time and expense at the doctor's office.

All I can say is yes, yes, yes to this. It probably explains why I have only had one therapist who had genuine empathy (you can see, hear and especially feel the difference). The catch was that I would often come in and find her visibly frazzled, and she'd try to take up the time with small talk. Her reserve of empathy was limited, and once drained, she had to shut down to protect herself, I guess. On the other hand, I've had a number of therapists who would listen to you describe bloody murder -- but that blank "I'm at work" expression? Why not save your money, stay home and talk to a wall?