College professor as a therapist for former student?

Yes I know that title suggests the presence of highly unethical behavior. Here's the situation...

I'm currently working on finishing up my associate's degree and will graduate from my community college at the end of April. As some of you may know, I've been searching for a therapist for several months and have met a few different clinicians, but haven't yet found one I've been able to connect with. The following situation/suggestion probably sounds insane and borderline inappropriate (and like a cheesy movie plot!) but I've been thinking about this for awhile and would like some input.

I'm currently taking an introductory psychology course with a professor I've had in one previous semester. She is a limited license counselor in our region and (as far as I can tell) has practiced in the field for several years. She is a very sweet person and appears to be highly cognizant of boundaries between therapists and their clients, at least from what she's mentioned in class.

This semester has been incredibly rough for me and she knows this. She mentioned in a (class-related) email to me last month that I didn't seem like myself and asked if everything was alright, so I gave her the gist of my situation and told her that I was in the process of seeking a therapist. Between that and my class papers which often ask about personal experiences with mental illness, I think she's been able to gather a good amount of basic information about me.

As unlikely as I know it is, do you think it would be unethical or just plain weird if I asked her to counsel me after I graduate, thus making me a former student? I feel stupid even asking this question, which is why I'm doing it here before asking her in person. I can completely understand why she wouldn't want to if I were a current student, but would the same boundaries apply after graduation? Our last class is April 25th and I was going to stay after class to ask her that day. I graduate the 26th.

At the very least I guess I could ask if she could provide the name of a different therapist so that I've got a starting point. That sounds less weird/creepy in my mind.

Thoughts?

Only you can prevent neurotypical jerkiness!

First, is she licensed for psychotherapy? Having a degree to teach a course doesn't necessarily mean she's credentialed for therapy? It sounds like you've checked but you'd have to check with her to be sure. Secondly, is she currently in practice? If she isn't currently in practice she may not want to take on one client?

If the answer to both of those is "yes," then I'd say talk to her about the possibility. She may say "no" because of the dual relationship issue. However, you won't know if you don't ask.

My second therapist was one of my pastors. It really wasn't an issue in either role. It worked well. I don't see it to be much an issue unless you foresee having her for future courses. That might be a definite problem.

Thank you for your response!

Yes, she is licensed and I am fairly certain she is still in practice. Many of the instructors at my college continue to work their "day jobs" in addition to teaching. I will ask her to make sure. As long as it doesn't seem unethical then my biggest concern is coming up with the right way to ask her so that I don't come across as creepy (this is how I appear in my mind, at least).

Only you can prevent neurotypical jerkiness!

I'm not sure what a limited license counselor is and like Artley Wilkins said, she may or may not currently be in practice. I don't think there is any harm in asking, and if she doesn't practice or doesn't want to counsel you, she may have other names for you to try. I think it doesn't hurt to ask. Good luck to you. HUGS Kit.

I don't see the problem with you seeing her after you're done.

I'd just be straight with her. "I've been looking for therapist and haven't had much luck. I was wondering if you are accepting clients and if you might be willing to take me on."

Hi Indie'sOK,

Thanks for sharing this.

I am not sure where this would fall on the ethical scale - but there is nothing wrong with asking. Just be prepared for any answer as some therapists may feel it is or could be seen as unethical. However, I can imagine she might ask you why her - in which case you may want to be honest with yourself and dig deep to find out if there is any reason that may interfere with an effective therapeutic relationship.

It is nice that she thought of you! That is quite amazing.

Let us know what you decide to do and what her reaction is.

I do know that in Canada - it is unethical for a therapist to have interactions with a former client for minimum of 2 years after therapy has ended. I am not sure if the same principle applies if a therapist and client know eachother prior to starting therapy. Perhaps it is something she could negotiate.

Thanks,
HD7970ghz

Go for it.

My T is also a prof, and when he gets asked by students to be their therapist his response is always “talk to me after you graduate”. So he isn’t saying no, he’s just saying not now.

I’m the exception to the rule, but I was his client before I was his student, but we watch boundaries pretty closely.

Some may use teaching as an opportunity to get new clients.

I think as long as you are graduated and that t has no reason to give you a grade then go for it. My t and I have a dual relationship (because of our kids) and we talk a lot about it. However, when he found out that I needed to take a class that he teaches at our college he asked me to take it with the other professor. He thinks that it may effect our therapeutic relationship if I was a student and client. He said that disagreement about grades and class policies may have an effect in that relationship and he would want to avoid it.

I have worked with a T that was a former professor of mine. She is super OCD on boundaries and ethics and had no problem with it at all. Ultimately I didn’t feel nearly as comfortable with her as a T as I did as a student and we never connected. Certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.

I think it would be more of an ethical question if you were a current student, but I see no problem with it if you've graduated and completed her class.

I think the appropriate ethical guidelines that apply in who a therapist can accept as a client (as opposed to the ethics of therapy itself or relationships afterwards) is whether there is a conflict of interest here. Once you are no longer a student, I don't see how there is a conflict anymore (or a dual relationship). You might ask whether seeing her as a T might prevent you from taking other classes with her, should she teach them and should you want to. Otherwise, do what seems right for you.

I do not have any plans to take further classes with her, as my degree is in Environmental Science and I took her PSY101 and 211 (intro psych) courses as electives.

I think I'm actually going to bring this up on Tuesday when I see her next. I was originally planning to ask after our last class period so that it wouldn't be awkward to see her again if she said no, but I'd like to begin therapy as soon as possible and I don't want to wait two weeks just to know if it's something she'll be willing to do.

Annie, I love your profile picture.

Only you can prevent neurotypical jerkiness!

I don’t see anything wrong with seeing a prior teacher as a therapist either.

I think if you want to maximize your chances of a “yes” it might be better to ask once classes are over and you’ve received your final grade for the class. It seems a little conflict-y for your teacher to view you as her future client as she’s doing your grading. Just my opinion!

As a college professor, this sounds unethical to me. I think it would begin with transference issues already in place. It would also be impossible for her to separate you as a student from you as a now client. Even asking puts her in a really awkward position and if she says no, which her ethics should guide her to do, she will probably feel both guilty and uncomfortable. And, if she says yes, I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen. I still see it as a dual relationship, even if you have graduated. The boundaries of a professor and a therapist are very different, and switching from one to the other will cause problems— not at first, but over time. I’ve seen this happen and blow up in flames.

This isn’t the biggest issue, but it also raises the question of “what if you need her to write a letter of recommendation in the future?” Or something else? I have former students come back years later needing me to write letters or fill out forms that they couldn’t have anticipated in advance because they’re applying to grad school, need a reference, or want me to make an introduction for an internship, etc

Good luck! I can not see a problem there. It souns she has been just a professor for few courses for you. I don't consider it as such a significant personal relationship and it is about to end anyway. If I were you I would ask after all the grading and course related stuff has been done. But after that, if she accepts your request, you should be better off than just browsing Psychology Today randomly. You already feel she might be a good fit.

Being a T and a current professor at the same time sounds like lots of trouble to me and impossible not to be influenced by the other role when doing things that belong to the other.

I have supervised students for >15 years and dealt with personal issues of many for the sake of improving academic performance and satisfaction. It is sometimes part of the mentoring I do with them and most find it very helpful. I made some mistakes though in the past when I allowed it to get too deep and I got involved in it beyond discussion. I also had a lot of that type of experience in my youth with teachers and other mentors, and some were very heavily transference-driven. I learned a great deal, they helped me to recognize things in myself and to improve and they did not cause harm to anyone. I definitely would not skip them if I could do my life over, but I also would not recommend it to everyone. But the benefit would have never happened if they had not been my mentors as well. I know that many people would consider what I did in my youth as unethical constructs but, in part, that was exactly how my own morals and values improved, via learning from experience. I never got any of those benefits from pure therapy. What I am saying is that it depends on the individual.

How long until you graduate?

My very first therapist was actually a T who taught psych classes at several colleges in our area. I had taken Abnormal Psych with him, and thought he was smart and ethical. For me though, it was about 5 years after I had graduated, and I don't think he actually remembered me at all. (It ended up ending badly, but it had nothing to do with me being a former student.)

Part of why I had thought of him was that, in class, he mentioned being in practice and that sometimes students approached him for therapy. I don't remember the details, but I'm sure it was "on a case by case bases, when you're not in my class" kind of thing.

Once you graduate, I don't see any problems. But it's really up to how comfortable she feels with it (and her caseload, of course). If you're sensitive to rejection (like I am!) - I'd prepare yourself for how you might feel if she says that she can't see you...

But it definitely sounds worth asking!

The only other issue I can think of is, if you've got a rather long time before you graduate, and you need therapy... she may not want to encourage you to wait until you graduate so you can see her. She might feel that it's in your best interest to see someone sooner, in which case, she may not want to respond positively, because it effectively will delay you getting help.

I think it's been mentioned, but it also could be worth asking her if there's anyone good she recommends... especially if you can give her a sense of what you're looking for, or what hasn't clicked for you with other therapists.

Good luck!