Going to get a bit personal here but I suffered with mental health issues really really badly about 5-6 years ago. I spent the best part of a year in a psychiatric unit because of it. And yeah maybe she is overreacting, but maybe her therapist was a complete bitch. It’s possible. I’ve had my fair share. All under the NHS too so the first appointment only being an assessment isn’t necessarily true- it may be how things are supposed to be done but it’s definitely not how they are always done, and she may not be under the NHS either.
I met my first therapist when I was about 12. My dad was really unwell and I was isolating myself because I wasn’t coping well with it, so my school referred me and she was horrific. Not in just a ‘I feel uncomfortable talking about this’ kind of way because I wanted to talk about it, and I did to my teachers. But she was just nasty, rude, judgemental and I got upset so I ran out of the room crying my eyes out and my teacher actually put in a complaint on my behalf after I told her what happened. When questioned she admitted it all (I didn’t realise at the time but another teacher was in a separate room and could actually hear what was being said, so she couldn’t exactly deny it when another member of staff heard it). Looking back I would say it’s still the worst therapy experience I’ve ever had so if hers was anything like that, I get it. I really do and I feel bad for her. It put me off of going to therapy for years and I wish I hadn’t let it do that but it had taken a lot for me to accept the help and to have a bad experience ruined it for me.
Then I got a bit older and things got a bit more complicated and I was referred to a more specialised therapist. He was incredible. He changed my life to the point that it’s been about 5 years since I last saw him and I still consider reaching out to him to do some private therapy sessions because it was like WOW, finally someone gets it. It wasn’t easy. We basically spent 6 months in silence and he even wrote that in the card he gave me when I left therapy- it must have been torture for him trying to make conversation with me. Then one day it clicked. And I started talking and explained what was going on and then I went into hospital and he drove once or twice a week to see me in the hospital after work as he was worried that once I was discharged we’d be back at square one in building the patient-therapist relationship again. But that didn’t happen and I managed to work through issues that I never thought I’d overcome. I owe him my life and that is why despite my bad experiences, I would always recommend that people keep trying with therapists until you find one that you click with. You can’t expect it to happen instantly but I also know that you can tell instantly when you are NOT going to click with a therapist.
Whilst in hospital I also had to partake in the therapy that they offered, which I was fine with. I attended therapy with a guy from South Africa, he was harmless, I nodded and smiled and answered his questions and then left. I didn’t get much out of it but it gave me an easier life because they could tick the box on their to do list. It was something to pass the time and just nice to have a conversion with someone different for an hour a week I guess.
And then came my second awful experience. She ended up being banned from communicating with me because the way she handled a particular situation (in front of other patients and members of staff too). I don’t want to go into the details but it was horrible, I was a very quiet, shy and terrified person at the time and she was the complete opposite of what I needed in a therapist. Three nurses put in complaints against her because of how she treated me which is why she ended up being banned from any form of communication with me as she became detrimental to my recovery.
I had a couple of other experiences that weren’t too bad but they weren’t great either. And I’ve also had a really nice therapist since. I can’t say much helped me long term with the most recent one but it helped me cope with life at the time so it worth it.
I guess what I’m trying to get across is that therapists can have all the credentials and qualifications in the world but if they don’t have empathy and can’t adapt to the needs of each individual then it just isn’t enough. I’d hate to think that people looked at my situations and thought it was me that was the problem in those circumstances when in reality it was other people who had no obligation to be on ‘my side’ that stepped in and did something about it, because they knew it was the ‘professionals’ that were in the wrong.
I truly hope that she finds a therapist she can connect well with and that she doesn’t let this set her back or stop her from looking for a new one. But I do understand that you build yourself up and when it isn’t how you expect it to be it can be very upsetting and disheartening. There’s a lot I don’t like about Gabby from what I’ve seen of her online but my main concern is that somebody who has had a bad experience with a therapist will read this thread and think they are the problem rather than the therapist when in reality that may not be the case at all.
anyway sorry for rambling I won’t say anything else on the matter now. I just had to make sure anyone reading knows that they aren’t to blame or to feel guilty if they didn’t get on well with a therapist in the past