Eve B

Privacy risks are unavoidable with tech. The main advantage I see with AI therapy is that clients know it's an artificial relationship so if the responses are unsatisfactory, it won't be taken as personally or feel as traumatic. I think the AI programming will improve, and the younger generation will prefer it because it will be cheaper, it can be conveniently 24/7, and there's no face-to-face talking required. I'd rather have a good human therapist, but the harm would be greater if they failed me.

Character.ai: Young people turning to AI therapist bot

https://earkick.com/

Anyone tried the above AI therapist-bots popular with the younger social media generation?

I think abused victims (especially if dependent on their abusers) can only be helped if they are willing to leave and there are other outside resources willing to actively intervene to protect them. Unfortunately, it's usually very difficult for both to happen.

NoTea, it's normal to feel anxious when you've had bad experiences. People can listen, but there are usually limitations to what can be given as support. Online forums tend to be easier for the shy or anti-social to express themselves. We're a small group, and we'll do our best to hear your story.

Do you know what kind of help you want and need from others?  

Welcome to the forum, NoTea! I think our community perspective focuses more on harm caused by therapists who don't practice what they preach. That's not to say therapy can't work for *some* if the clients are treated properly. Are you inquiring about short/long term support outside of online forum discussion?

Glad to have you here, Finley! No worries about sharing your story unless you're comfortable with it. I think the support here is much safer and saner than many therapists after a bad experience.

<Waves hi and grins> Pleased to have you here, Lexie! I think that therapist should've been more appreciative of you giving him another chance to fix the rupture. It's unfortunately common, however, that therapists will change their act when therapy goes wrong, and then you don't know who they are anymore. Yes, you will feel confused along with a mix of other negative emotions, and it will likely take a long time before you finally figure it out. Please try to remember that it wasn't your fault and that you have the support of others who have suffered similar experiences.   

It's basically trial and error, and clients can't be sure if the therapist is really helpful or not until thousands of dollars have already been spent on their sessions. 

I considered it once, but I decided online therapy wouldn't work for me because it would feel too unreal and more like a video game. Might as well try A.I. robot therapy which would be much cheaper too!

There have been some negative articles involving BetterHelp:

https://www.dailydot.com/irl/therapist-explains-problems-betterhelp-tiktok/

https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/4/17932862/betterhelp-app-youtube-sponsorship-controversy-explained

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/23/23179866/elizabeth-warren-betterhelp-talkspace-therapy-pandemic-app-philip-defranco

This statement from the article link makes sense to me: "Since some of the benefits of therapy come from the positive expectancy that it will help, therapists don’t like to publicize potential downsides or risks."

What I didn't appreciate was this assumption: "While there are times where therapists knowingly exploit or harm their patients, such cases are thankfully quite rare." How can she accurately claim that harm is rare when there aren't any witnesses to the sessions? Harmed clients are more likely under-reported because that would also be bad PR for therapists.

And this comment confirms to me that clients should expect therapists to show frightening degrees of incompetence: "The therapist may lack the needed skill or expertise to notice and repair the damage caused in such moments, further worsening and complicating the harm."

Glad to have you, RadioFlyer5!  Unlike some of my past therapy experiences, I've found the environment here to be truly supportive, honest, and helpful!

Episode 103- The Therapists' Side of the Story:

(15:45-16:00)- "It doesn't really matter what the therapist specifically said in any given moment. All that really matters is how the client received it."

Hello and glad you were able to find us, Trip! I think the forum has been quieter than usual because of summer vacation time, and people probably prefer reading posts than writing them. I've wondered how much worse (or better) therapists are in other countries. European countries seem to include free therapy as part of the govt healthcare, but clients don't get to choose their therapist?

Therapists do tend to be very sensitive to criticism. When the process is subjective and client outcomes are inconsistent, I suppose they would feel a strong need to protect the credibility of their profession. 

Glad you found us, Duck Hunt Dawg! No pressure to give details of your story if you're not ready. This forum was created to serve as a safe space for those hurt by bad therapy, and I hope you find the various perspectives here to be helpful and informative. 

Many therapists don't seem to show much common sense when it comes to appropriate professional conduct, and they don't want to believe that they're not doing a good job because they're usually very sensitive to client criticism. I'm glad your psychiatrist didn't charge for the final session, but I think therapists should give a refund if they screw up! Competent therapy isn't supposed to leave you feeling more confused and upset than when you started. 

Nkit, welcome and thanks for sharing your story! Attachment and transference are common experiences in therapy, and I still don't fully understand how it happens or why it's so difficult to get rid of. It took me many years and a combination of researching the therapy profession, finding online support from others who have suffered similar stories, and even talking to a "good enough" therapist to neutralize the emotional harm caused by the first one that started it all. The hurt fades with time, but it's never forgotten. I think if that psychiatrist knew about your insider information, it might have dragged you into more unnecessary complications. Did she charge you for your final session?

Sorry you're having a rough time, Old Man. Let out whatever you need to... It would probably feel worse if you had kept all that pain bottled up. Maybe try to keep your mind from dwelling too much over it by doing something enjoyable and relaxing. Please take care of yourself!

 Any kind of isolating environment without independent monitoring should be a major warning flag that abusive treatment is a likely possibility. If there were more effective solutions and better social support for troubled individuals, these kinds of shady businesses wouldn't exist.

Glad to have you here, ifyouknowmenoyoudont! I think the effects of bad therapist experiences never go away completely, but it can start feeling less and less painful with time and the right kind of support. I'm sorry you were hurt by those psych malpractitioners. Stay strong and keep healing!

If you stopped trusting, how were you able to convince yourself to risk trying a different therapist?

Therapists are... not real doctors. 

It's true that psychiatry is the least respected career path among medical students. 

"I once met a medical student who had failed his first year exams. 'It’s ok,' he said, as I tried to console him. 'I know I’m not very bright, but I can always be a psychiatrist after medical school.'"  - https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2010/06/28/anna-mead-robson-psychiatry-–-a-specialty-for-failures/

Welcome, Happynow! I've also felt much relief and comfort finding others who have endured similar bad therapy/therapist stories. I hope you find this forum to be both supportive and informative! 

I think regardless of how they were trained, the mistakes that therapists make are hard to correct because it's behind closed doors with no third party supervision or other witnesses. Also, therapists often don't want to seriously believe a client's criticisms because clients are the ones with the issues coming to them for the help. Therapists play the "expert" role that they think is expected of them, so they usually won't admit that they and/or their treatment could be in the wrong.        

Glad to have you with us, HelloUniverse000! Unresolved issues from bad therapy won't ever go away easily or completely, but it can be managed so that it feels less hurtful with time. If I had friends who worked in the psych profession, I'm not sure that I would trust them in the same way as my non-therapist friends.