• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Therapist (possible) covid denier should I can her?

Status
Not open for further replies.

NoWhereKnowWhere

MyPTSD Pro
I’ve recently started with a new therapist. We’re not doing anything too heavy mostly just brushing up old coping skills and looking at new ones as well as somatic stuff. We’ve had two sessions the first one was basically just assessment and getting to know you type stuff. This past session I was talking about how a lot of old hyper-vigilance is stuff has been rearing it’s head because you sort of have to be at the moment with Covid-19 you know making sure you’re socially distancing and keeping an eye out for people who aren’t wearing masks.

well here comes the issue she asked if I was worried about contracting covid and I said no not really but I am worried about inadvertently giving it to someone. She said there’s little evidence that people who are asymptomatic spread it 😬. She also said about people refusing to were masks that there’s some evidence of CO2 build up 🙄 and I said there was literally no evidence of that. She asked if I was ok and I said I was a bit worried that she’s an anti-masker and a covid denier. She said she just likes to see things from all points of view. Ok well maybe if your client is an anti-masker covid denier, but to bring something like that up out of the blue while I was just talking about about covid anxiety. I dunno

here’s the question do I continue with her? Ordinarily if I had an abundance of options of course I would just find someone else. It made me feel very uncomfortable and annoyed tbh, our local hospital is on the brink of being overwhelmed. There are 100,000 people who’ve lost their lives in the uk. I feel like I might have a moral obligation to complain about her being unprofessional. I’m seeing her through a charity I probably would be offered someone else if I asked but I would probably go back on the waiting list. I don’t know how long that would be. I’ve been waiting over a year for a psychiatrist appointment with the nhs and I can’t afford to go private.

she seems like an ok therapist aside from that. Am I being too black and white? Should I give her another chance? It’s over the phone so there’s no chance of contracting covid if she is going around not wearing a mask. I would like a second opinion.

*Edited to add
Please don’t come here and tell me that she’s right because she’s not if you’re an anti masker covid denier I honestly don’t want to hear it.
 
I wouldn’t be able to continue seeing her. But I do also understand NHS waiting lists! Is it worth having a chat with the charity to find a way forwards with someone new? Do you know for sure you would have to go back to the bottom of the waiting list again?

They may not be too impressed with her either - it’s not really a therapist’s place to be putting their beliefs (religious/political/Covid-related/whatever) out there with us, is it? And if you have raised some concern about Covid and current cases/measures and her response to that was to give you false scientific ‘facts’ to contradict what you were saying...I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable that you’d want to restart with someone else.
 
Do you know for sure you would have to go back to the bottom of the waiting list again?

no I don’t, I assume I’ll go back Ona waiting list until another therapist becomes available. I’ll have to ask.
They may not be too impressed with her either
This is what I’m thinking. It’s not really an equal relationship is it she has some power of persuasion over people. It’s a bit scary tbh.
Might have to make a rather uncomfortable phone call tomorrow to the charity.
 
Might have to make a rather uncomfortable phone call tomorrow to the charity.
I would, to be honest. I think if you explain the situation and say you don’t now feel comfortable opening up/you already feel the relationship is muddied with her beliefs that she didn’t need to put into the space/whatever other impact this has had on you and your feelings about continuing therapy with her, I honestly think it’s reasonable that they look to swap you to someone else. And especially as you’ve only spoken to her twice.

Good luck if you do ring them - hope they understand where you’re coming from and can line you up with someone else ASAP.
 
She said she just likes to see things from all points of view.
So raping children is okay (that’s the point of view of countless pedophiles), and beating your wife to death if she’s late bringing dinner (another point of view), and bombing Britain is totally justified because TheGreatWhiteSatan needs to be put down... and oh... so many things.

This is, to be honest, why I ♥️ Crisis. You find out who people really are, very quickly when lives are on the line.
 
Thank you all very much for your replies. My first thought when she said that was to just hang up. Then I often think to myself well I do have a tendency to write people off without hesitation (hello trauma response) so maybe I was being too severe. This is very validating and honestly most of my gut instincts are right on I just need to listen to them. When people raise up the red flags bloody believe them.

I’ll email or call the charity tomorrow they even have a complaints section in their website so I’ll have a proper look at that tomorrow.
 
Am I being too black and white?
Please don’t come here and tell me that she’s right because she’s not if you’re an anti masker covid denier I honestly don’t want to hear it.
based on what you said, she never said she was a covid denier and yes I think you are being too black and white based on your statement, "I honestly don't want to hear it." You can hear things and disagree without having to delete someone or assume the worst, that she is a covid denier. Also, I believe if you want to know you have a duty to ask, "Based on our conversation, I am wondering your position on covid? It is important to me that I understand what precautions you take to prevent your patients from getting covid."
 
mostly just brushing up old coping skills and looking at new ones as well as somatic stuff.
So, ^^^this is the reason you're seeing her.
This past session I was talking about how a lot of old hyper-vigilance is stuff has been rearing it’s head because you sort of have to be at the moment with Covid-19 you know making sure you’re socially distancing and keeping an eye out for people who aren’t wearing masks.
At your first session, you brought up hypervigilance around covid.

She gave some pretty soft suggestions on possible ways to re-evaluate your hypervigilance. Not your vigilance, the hypervigilance part.

Staying socially distant from people, regularly washing and/or sanitising your hands? Is good advice. And if your anxiety is up? For a lot of people, having that permission to remove their mask and just breathe is really helpful.

It's your call. If she doesn't sound like your cup of tea? Then ask to switch. It early days, so you're not losing an established relationships, and if someone else is available? Then that may work better.

But as a charity counsellor, right now? She's probably dealing with a shittonne of covid anxiety, and she may just have used an approach that's been helpful for others (ie. worry less about people who seem healthy, and if you need to stop and chill out for a minute, take your mask off and chill out, because that's okay if you're panicking) which didn't resonate with you.

Don't feel bad about trying someone else. She didn't hit the mark with you. That's reason enough to try someone else if someone else is available!
 
she never said she was a covid denier
That’s why I said possible in title of the tread.
You can hear things and disagree without having to delete someone or assume the worst,
Yeah I mean I don’t especially like pineapple on pizza I can still be friends with people who do. But scientific fact is not opinion. And if we don’t know them that’s what we should say. The co2 bit is anti mask propaganda it’s a dog whistle.

you have a duty to ask
I did read what I wrote. She said she likes to see things from different perspectives and tried to change the subject.
important to me that I understand what precautions you take to prevent your patients from getting covid
Again read what I wrote. This is over the phone. Absolutely everything that can be is at the moment. We’re on full lockdown again it’s really bad here. Schools are closed, the local hospital is nearly overwhelmed the cases are still rising, we have the worst death rate in Europe. This is a little island it should’ve been under control ages ago. Yet I go to the local shop and I’m the only c*nt in there with a mask on.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top