Should you share a therapist with a family member?
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You probably know how hard it is to find a great therapist. You have searched for so long to pick the right person, and now, when you are finally happy with your therapist, your friend or a relative wants to visit them too, because they see how the therapy is helping you. How do you feel about that?
Chamin Ajjan, a great and experienced therapist from New York has explained to us some pros and cons of sharing your therapist. Check out the list below!
Pros:
1.Trust. If you know your friend well enough, then you probably know about his or her problems, right? So, if their therapist can help them, why wouldn’t you try?
2.Hard to find. As I have mentioned above, it is very hard to find a therapist you can 100% rely on. That is exactly why people tend to go to the same therapist as their friend or a relative.
3.Expectations. Your friend may tell you about that therapist and you may know what to expect. It is not such a comfortable situation visiting a therapist anyway, so at least with a referral, you (or your loved one) knows what they’re in for.
Cons:
1.Panic. If you are suffering from any anxiety or panic disorder, then you should definitely not visit the same therapist as your friends or relatives. Why is that so? Because you may end up having a panic attack thinking how you cannot trust your therapist anymore because he or she may tell your best friend or a relative some secrets you have shared with them.
2.Connection. When your therapist meets your friend or a relative, he or she may end up with making some connections between you and them. Of course, such thing may be good, but your therapist doesn’t know the whole story of your life and neither of theirs, so your therapy may take things into account that you have not told them. (flip side, this can also be a benefit…depending on the therapist).
3. Feeling ashamed. If you feel ashamed when you are visiting your therapist, then you should definitely go there alone. If you don’t find it comfortable to be around your friends and relatives in your therapist’s office, just waiting there to come in, then forget about going to the same therapist as them.
What do you think? Would you be willing to go to the same therapist as a loved one?
It’s a bit embarrassing! Sure, it’s awesome for the therapist. She get’s more clients and money. But still, it’s kind of awkward.
I had a therapist who did just this and it just out turned into a huge dilemma. It wasn’t for my family.
Definitely not! They are willing to share private things that are meant to stay secret with the patient, thinking it could help the other. They probably won’t understand how problematic it can be for one.