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Is this normal?

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Gs172003

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I took my husband with me to counseling the last two times as moral support. The last time I took him my counselor asked if she could ask him questions and I said yes. She asked all about him and said she was trying to get to know him. It then became a marriage counseling session. She gave us a book on marriage to read.
How do I deal with my marriage and this? I've only been back in for two danged sessions?
 
I took my husband with me to counseling the last two times as moral support. The last time I took him my...
I think if you don’t want your marriage to be the focus you gotta set clear boundaries with your t. She likely thinks she’s just helping out but be clear he is here for moral support and your relationship is not to be the focus at this point. And if she can’t do that then she can be replaced. Might want to phrase that last bit nicely lol. Or say “my husband is here again and will just be listening and not participating in my healing”
 
Marriage counselling is a completely different way of working, if you have someone there for support they should have no part in the session and if she thought you needed marriage counselling that's a discussion for her to have with you. It sounds like you were in the "marriage" session before you knew it and hadn't given informed consent.

So no, it's not normal but honestly, neither is having your husband sit in in your sessions.

Does he need to be actually in the session? Would it be enough to know that he's outside if you need him, your session is your confidential space - what happens if he brings up something at home that you've mentioned in session? He can't unknow what he knows and it will influence your marriage for him to know the content of your therapy sessions. All of that should have been fully talked through with the therapist before she agreed to him being present.

I also wonder how you can speak freely about your relationship with him sitting there - I know it would be utterly unreasonable of me to talk about my marriage with my husband present and expect him not to respond or engage in that conversation. And while my therapy is focussed on me and my trauma, my marriage does fall for discussion within the session.

In your shoes I'd need to acknowledge that boundaries were at best a bit blurred within the therapy and both find a new therapist and not have my husband come into my session with me.
 
Marriage counselling is a completely different way of working, if you have someone there for support th...
He was there the week before because we were having car issues and had to be dropped off there. I invited him in so maybe he could get an understanding of what I'm dealing with. She asked if it helped having him there and it did. Having him there was kinda nice so I invited him again but didn't expect that. She asked if she could ask him questions but did not ask to redirect the therapy.

I think you opened the door by having him in your sessions.

If you can’t be ok enough on your...
You might be right.

I wanted to postpone my next sessions for when I went back to work a few weeks after my first session and she wouldn't let me. She made me schedule for the next week.

Ok. Have you told her you want the focus to be on you and your trauma and not the marriage?[/Q...
Honestly I shouldn't have to tell her since that's what I'm there for
 
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...she wouldn’t let me. She made me schedule for the next week.

Made you? Gun to head, knife to throat kind of thing?

Coerced you? Threatened you with discontinuing therapy & blackballing you with your insurance or other therapists, sectioning you, disclosing to a boss, etc.?

Convinced you? Presented an argument for coming next week, that you agreed to, even if you didn’t agree with the argument in whole or in part?

Told you? And so you did as you were told?

Suggested? Presented her opinion, and you valued it higher than your own?

Left the door open? Let’s schedule you for next week & if you’re not up to it, you can cancel, but this way it’s on the books if you need/want to come in?
 
Actually you do need to tell her, she's not a mind reader. You brought your husband to your therapy and gave her permission to involve him in your session - it's fair to say that doing that redirected the therapy in and of itself, especially if he appeared with no prior discussion with her.

Am I right in thinking you've not had a session with her on your own, that these were your first two sessions? From her point of view, new client attends with her husband, despite asking for trauma work. It's reasonable to think you want relationship counselling.
 
Made you? Gun to head, knife to throat kind of thing?

Coerced you? Threatened you with discontinuing th...
As in she said Nope. You're coming next week and got her book out and waited for me to schedule a day. She intimidates me so I did what she said lol

Actually you do need to tell her, she's not a mind reader. You brought your husband to your therapy and...
No I saw her for six months then quit. Just went back this is my first two since I've been back
 
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