Friends after therapy... anyone?

[Deleted member 42665]

I'm not looking for a lecture on ethics. Thanks, I've done enough research to know it is ok to have a friendship with a therapist after therapy, but it comes with risks... which I get and am ok with.

Anyway my point of the post is not to get your thoughts on if its ok to or not but asking if anyone has and how did it go? I imagine for some people, being a friend to someone is easier than being a "client" so it would be a easier transition than it would be for others.

 

[Lamename01234]

I have not but my co-worker has. I am fascinated by it. We work closely and talk a lot all day. He now lives on the west coast and we are on the east so they don't see each other but they still do correspond. Nothing was ever sexual but friends, yes.

 

[Deleted member 42665]

I have not but my co-worker has. I am fascinated by it. We work closely and talk a lot all day. H...

That is cool. I like hearing stories that it works sometimes. Not saying it would ever for me but I like to have some hope. Thanks for sharing :)

 

[Freida]

My therapist and I get along really well - so well that she said we had to wait two years after I stop therapy to do "friend" things - coffee..lunch ...etc. Pretty sure we will go wine tasting to celebrate!

 

[Deleted member 33052]

I'm still in therapy, but I can see it happening. I have no secrets from my therapist. He knows me better than anyone else does. We were friendly acquaintances before I started seeing him professionally. I hope we become friends once I'm finished.

 

[Deleted member 42665]

Awesome and I don't think it's 2 years for friends, its like a few months from what I read, its 2 years for dating etc. Very awesome replies, thanks for the hope!

 

[Freida]

LOL well we definitely wont be dating so hopefully its months!

 

[BoN-bOn]

I have a very close relationship with someone who counseled me after leaving a very abusive marriage. I’ve known her for over 11 years & it’s probably one of the healthiest relationships I’ve ever known. We no longer live near each other but we sometimes talk on the phone for hours & text each other often. We visit when we can. She’s very much a mother figure for me.

 

[watundah]

Yes on one account and we were best friends for a while, still are friends across the miles many years later.

Offered to my most recent T after I quit as she suggested it would have been fun to meet under different circumstances and she initially offered to step away from the therapist role, wanting to stay in touch. I tried to get an email friendship going but quickly gave up as it seemed harder for her than initially suggested, or maybe she fell back into therapist mode. Either way, it wasn't something that I wanted to talk her into.

 

[shimmerz]

Yes, me too. I have a very dear friend who used to counsel me. It has been a little awkward at times because I still go to therapy and I think a part of her is bothered by that. She is human, after all.

It has taken a bit of time to really understand her life. To realize that she is allowed the feelings that she as my therapist was not allowed to bring into the room during therapy. She sometimes turns on the counselor mode in conversation, which I am training her to stop. Although, now that I type that out, she is a counselor so of course that will be part of her persona.

Anyway, happy to have her as a dear, dear friend. I love her. I wouldn't be here today without her.

 

[anonymous]

I've recently started seeing a non NHS therapist and she's awesome. I would love to be friends with her after therapy. She is so easy to talk to, I can be myself and not feel judged, she tells me some stuff about her own life unlike those NHS ones and I feel that helps create a far better rapport. I've also noticed (interestingly) I don't get any of that unpleasant erotic transference with her like I was with some NHS ones. Now that's odd. And good!

 

[Muted]

I've recently started seeing a non NHS therapist and she's awesome. I would love to be friends with h...

What’s NHS?