I’m a conversion therapy survivor. The therapy itself was its own layer of psychological trauma that I still work through twenty years later. My therapist recently commented “I want to be careful not to ever hurt you because of your past experience with traumatic therapy.” I confidently (and kindly) looked him directly in his eyes and said “You don’t ever have to worry about that. There is no therapist whose opinion I trust more than my own.” It took years to understand that we are equals in therapy. If ever you feel like the professional lacks understanding or compassion for you, please don’t go back. The biggest red flag is when a therapist wants power over you, rather than you being empowered.
I’m a conversion therapy survivor. The therapy itself was its own layer of psychological trauma that I still work through twenty years later. My therapist recently commented “I want to be careful not to ever hurt you because of your past experience with traumatic therapy.” I confidently (and kindly) looked him directly in his eyes and said “You don’t ever have to worry about that. There is no therapist whose opinion I trust more than my own.” It took years to understand that we are equals in therapy. If ever you feel like the professional lacks understanding or compassion for you, please don’t go back. The biggest red flag is when a therapist wants power over you, rather than you being empowered.
Therapy is hard work—and not just for the therapist. That’s because the responsibility for change lies squarely with the patient. If you expect an hour of sympathetic head-nodding, you’ve come to the wrong place. Therapists will be supportive, but our support is for your growth, not for your low opinion of your partner. (Our role is to understand y
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