Survivors - Have you found anyone doing research

Thank you so much for this resource. This study makes an important point that the focus should be on understanding how harm happens as opposed to punishing the wrongdoers. Many therapists who harm have no idea that they are harming. Punishing them without educating them about why their actions were harmful and without helping them understand their own unaddressed trauma that contributed into their behavior would not achieve anything. Punishment alone would not teach them anything and would not change the current state of affairs in the system.

While I agree in principle, I haven’t seen re-education do much. My ex-T was given re-education and training as opposed to punishment for her first and second offenses. Yet she still did the same thing with me afterwards— and because she wasn’t punished, nothing came up when I googled her license (to see if she was safe) and me (and others) were subject to her abuse 10 years after her first offense.

I didn't say education should be given instead of punishment. I said that punishment alone doesn't achieve much either. All it teaches a perpetrator is to become more skillful in playing the system. As I said in my previous posts, much harm can be done without ever crossing formal ethical boundaries.

Also, I agree that the way education is done currently doesn't help. The courses that they are mandated to take simply intend to refresh their memory on formal ethics and laws, which is something they were supposed to know before they transgressed. This has to change. Instead of explaining to them once again what they studied in the grad school, they need to be explained how their actions affected their clients.

Purely punitive actions don't raise consciousness. They don't force therapists to think about clients' well-being any more than they did before, but they do force them to do everything possible to cover their butts, and then the way they practice becomes more about avoiding liability than about clients' well-being.

A therapist who has not crossed a formal ethical boundary will not receive punishment or re-education. And a T who has already decided to behave unethically (against known boundaries) probably doesn’t care about how their actions affect clients. My T’s first re-education included writing a letter about how her actions affected her client. The board accepted her letter, determined she had learned her lesson, and let her keep her license. This (unbeknownst to me at the time) happened shortly before I started therapy with her. Clearly, it had zero effect. The only possible way of training therapists who HAVE a moral compass is to incorporate better training in graduate school, publish peer reviewed essays on how therapist boundary crossings affect clients (and make them required reading), reframe governing boards so they are about client protection not therapist protection, and make this part of public knowledge. That would be great— but it’s pretty unlikely. At least in the near future.

I'm scattershooting here, but I think one reason therapists cross lines is the same reason some people break rules, do drugs and speed in their cars. They're the exception. They can handle it. Yeah, there is that ethics stuff, but it doesn't apply to my situation. I can handle these opioids.

I've known outright thieves, and they're fairly charming people. They're great at justifying and compartmentalizing.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've seen some therapists practice over the years who start to create their own worlds, methodology and rules. One of my ex's, the more sensible one, regularly uses NLP visualization, and later energy work, healing people with magnets and balancing brain hemispheres. Then my bully therapist posted a short essay how optimal pain is necessary for growth. Apparently when the client wasn't in sufficient pain, he supplied it.

They build their universes, certain they're doing great things. But they've forgotten the most important part--the recipients of their brilliant techniques. When a client complains the therapists ignore it because they aren't able to dismantle their cloud-castle constructions. And they see themselves as "authorities," with the clients their disciples who don't realize what's best for them.

It's difficult to penetrate these stubborn realities.

I agree with these last two posts. People who abuse often would be the first to condemn someone else for the very same behaviors; they literally do not "see" their own behaviors the same way. They have deluded themselves into thinking they are different somehow. I don't think that's just a "therapist" thing; I think that's a pretty common abuser thing.

My abuser, when confronted head-on with his own crimes against me, said he had never thought of what he did as abusive. I vividly remember him saying that the very day before he was confronted, he was talking about another individual who had sexually abused a child and was condemning their behavior, never even considering that he was guilty of the same. It simply didn't cross his mind.

Some things I would like to know - how many survivors of any type of exploitation have gone on to have therapy they saw as useful. I'd like to read more first person narratives by the therapists. I want to know if the period I had of relative strength for a year, then a complete crash based on a stressor is within the experience of other individuals. I'd like to see numbers on how many people filed complaints, how those complaints were settled, if people's lives were helped by filing complaints. I'd like to see more about the issues specific to GLBT ( forgive me, not meaning to leave anyone out) and therapy abuse. I'd like to know how many people were exploited in sessions vs in outside life.

I could go on and on.

Topiary~
Though my experience is outside your perimeters, I'm happy to answer your questions:
. My exploitation was bullying by two co-therapists, a male psychologist and a female psychiatric social worker leading group therapy. They became very hostile when I wanted to leave the group and humiliated me in attempt to keep me there. I don't think gender was a factor; sexuality was never discussed in this group.
. I felt extremely ashamed and guilty leaving therapy, as miserable as it made me. My first almost-immediate stop was to the therapist who referred me to the psychologist and who was hisf riend. She didn't really help me, but convinced me she did. Her emphasis seemed discouraging me from legal action. (Not a bad therapist, a bad match.)
. I made a large move to a new city and job, so put the matter away for several years.
. Eventually I went to a new therapist who mentioned I could file a complaint. That was the first "wound opening." I filed a "duty to refer" complaint and lost, but I was glad I did.
. Hearing about cults, Jonestown etc, ) reactivated my experience, leading to my blogging.
. I've gotten more from blogging, peer support and living than from therapy. Getting older helps.

.I'm still learning and understanding.

I was exploited in different ways by two therapists (and I had a decent one in between those).

The first experience of abuse with the first therapist was that of gasligting and the therapist's authoritarian style of relating when he is the one who establishes rules and they cannot be changed or discussed. The first 6 months of therapy were actually very helpful. I got a lot of insight on my relationships with others, on my own dynamics. It felt very empowering. I was able to be more assertive with people in a healthy way and to communicate with people more effectively. So, I do give the guy a credit for that. But then the transference and "the relationship" started getting "explored" and from that point on everything went downhill. My old wounds re-surfaced and caused traumatic reactions. He had no idea how to work with that except just reminding me that those are old wounds (thank you very much, that was very helpful).

The termination was nasty, ugly and traumatic for me. I was in a state of major clinical depression for another 6 months when I could barely get out of bed to take a shower and to do chores and not every day.

I didn't file a complaint because I knew it was pointless. Nothing could've been proven and, even if I could give evidence of what went on, the board would not have necessarily seen it as a violation and that'd have only added to the pain which was already more than I could handle.

The other time I was abused by the third and the last therapist I had. That time the formal violation did take place because, eventually, the relationship continued outside of therapy settings. Once again, I would never say that it was only a negative experience. I felt seen by that person like I had never been seen before by anyone and that meant a lot to me. But, that's exactly what makes exploitation so painful to process, it's because it is done by someone who provided you with something essential that you had craved your entire life.
Interestingly enough, the first 6 months of therapy, again, were the most helpful (the same happened with the second therapist who was ethical), so I wonder if there is something objectively valid about this first 6 months period that makes therapy in general more or less effective..just a thought..

Anyway, that story came to an end at some point. But that time I did file a complaint and he was disciplined. He didn't lose his license, but was put on probation for several years with the whole list of requirements he had to fulfill in order to retain his license.

I am satisfied with the results of the investigation and I can clearly state that I was helped a lot by the process of filing a complaint and by the final result.

I was not lucky with subsequent therapy. I've tried to process all this with other therapists, but none of them had any clue of what therapy abuse is and none of them knew how to work with it or had any desire to work with it, so I gave up on therapy all together.

Thanks so much for this. I'm realizing how lucky I have been to have found 3 subsequent therapists who have been so supportive and who have really seemed to "get it".

You've had so many traumatic experiences with therapists I would find it surprising if you kept trying.

I have not found any subsequent therapy to be helpful. I think one big reason for that is that no other T is willing to talk about or help me process the exploitation by ex-T. Another reason is that I think a lot of therapists use a cookie cutter approach that may work for those who struggle to understand their own emotions or need help with cognitive distortions, but are not helpful for those who don’t have those issues. I did not file a complaint, but two other clients of my T did and she lost her license. Then she attempted suicide. Then she failed to tell me she lost her license and continued to charge me for sessions for a few months. Then she told me she lost her license, but claimed she didn’t do what she was accused of, and then asked to be friends. I went with the friendship for 3 years, which was really abusive. The reason I never filed a complaint is because of what I saw go down with those who filed complaints. My T made up a story that she was sexually assaulted by the client she went to a bar and got drunk with. She then sued the client. Everyone in the community (a lesbian community in a place where we all know each other) has heard the stories on all sides and it’s a mess. I wanted no part of that. I do think the lines can get more blurry between a lesbian client and lesbian therapist. I did not have sex with my T, but the lines were sometimes blurry. She sat next to me on the couch and held me, she’s seen me in my swimsuit (and vice versa), we talk about sex and dating (she disclosed too), etc. Was that in the name of friendship or was it flirting? I can honestly say I don’t know. But my anger at my T is strictly for the unethical boundary violations she did under the assumption she was only acting platonically. She did enough damage as my “friend” that I don’t even need to add in anything that may (or may not) have been sexually charged.

Dr. Andrea Celenza does excellent work, though on explaining the why's about the perpetrators : Amazon.com: Sexual Boundary Violations: Therapeutic, Supervisory, and Academic Contexts (9780765708533): Andrea Celenza: Books

I found a great therapist after my harmful experience. It took me a long time to trust him but it's been really positive. I know I'm very lucky and it's not always that easy to find a good therapist who knows how to help after a harmful experience.

Most libraries have electronic databases and might allow access to these journals. The more academic databases usually can be accessed through school affiliations, alumni associations or even community borrowing privileges offered by some libraries.

The following viewpoint is my experience only.* I find recovery completely hinged on de-mystifying therapy and the therapist, demoting him, seeing him no wiser about life than anyone else. Nothing magical happens. They didn’t know what’s in my mind, what my family looks like, nor did they have special powers to “interpret” anything. The oracle showmanship primed me for the abuse to begin with. Since my subsequent therapists were unwilling to drop the mystification and veils of authority, they remained part of the problem.

Someone recommended me a therapist once who was trained by Andrea Celenze. I saw her once and was very disappointed. Sadly, she didn't have a clue of what a person with that kind of trauma is experiencing.

Sometimes the author of the article or book will snailmail or email a copy of their article or a chapter from a book if you contact them and ask. I received a few articles from Ken Pope, Ph.D. and others that way.

I just had a thought. Has anyone thought about writing to people like Ken Pope, Gary Shoener, Glenn Gabbard not to ask for a book, an article or any other information but to ask them about what is currently being done in terms of changing the psychotherapy training to make therapy induced trauma or trauma from therapy abuse a part of the official training curriculum? It's nice to have a few books on ethics and this specific issue written by them, but they don't change anything on the large scale. So, I'd want to know if they've ever started or partnered with any advocacy group that pushes for changes in professional training. Me think not.

If there is an article someone really wants on an academic site I can see if i can find it via my uni library

Is this what Dawn Deveraux is doing in the UK? I'm new to her (got her name from this board) so I can't vouch for her but from google she seems to be trying to get the training changed as well as helping those affected.