Therapists acknowledging mistakes

[Mary S]

Finally! Some therapists are recognizing the importance of acknowledging mistakes, apologizing for them, learning from them, and obtaining permission before engaging in interventions. http://www.nicabm.com/why-practitioners-need-to-talk-about-mistakes/

It's about time --- since these are considered basic professional responsibilities in most professions!

[Eve B]

Asking for a client's permission might be obvious before an intervention?  It should be obvious! To me, it's common sense and common courtesy.  Therapists who assume instead of ask are more likely to screw up.  Acknowledging and sharing the lessons from these mistakes should also be happening with the client involved not only with other practitioners.

[Mary S]

There have been some responses to the comment I posted on the website listed above. One of them said, "...Now that you have stopped volunteering for abuse ...", and another person commented to the  effect that that was an inappropriate thing to say. So there are still some baddies out there, but at least some therapists who have some sense of common decency.

[here today]

I'm almost speechless about the "...Now that you have stopped volunteering for abuse ..." comment.

I don't understand that stuff -- I guess it's what I've heard referred to as passive, relational, or motivational aggression. And it definitely adds to my impression that the rest of that person's comments were primarily self-serving, whether she was aware of it or not.  Hence your comments, I guess, were experienced as an attack and she "had to" attack back?  A very unsafe therapist herself, therefore, is my impression, despite her previous appearance of support for you.  :-(

She never acknowledged the possibility that her comment was offensive, certainly didn't apologize, despite it being pointed out by the other person.  Maybe she didn't see how her comment could be seen as offensive?  But she didn't ask for clarification, either.  Then, later in reply to the person who pointed out her possible "mistake", she wrote:

Quote

I, too, seek feedback after each session and at termination. I also encourage it during each session so that there is felt safety and a collaborative approach.

Yikes!  How ironic, in a discussion of therapists' acknowledging mistakes.  Scary, too, to me.  

[AdamP]

That guy seems to be implying that his "mistakes" are rare slip-ups, and rest of the time he is fixin' people left and right.  The whole practice of therapy is largely a mistake.  

[Mary S]

Adam,

In case you haven't seen it already, Finally Angry's comment http://therapytheclientside.invisionzone.com/topic/147-gender-imbalance-with-therapytherapists/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-2861 and some of the follow-up comments get into another big type of mistake therapists make.