An anonymous patient posted on Reddit about her fears after sleeping with her therapist, and after the situation unfolded, the person turned to the internet for advice.
An anonymous patient claims she had an inappropriate relationship with her therapist and doesn’t know what to do next.
in Reddit In the post, they confessed, “We never thought we’d be in this situation but here we are. We feel so guilty and honestly a little confused… We don’t know what to do. We just wanted to tell someone.”
The sticky situation allegedly began a little over a year ago, when the unnamed client visited the therapist seeking advice. With each session, the discussions became “more personal and emotional,” and the lines between work and friendship began to blur.
They continued, “It started with him making longer eye contact with me and gently touching my shoulder. During one particularly intense moment, he held me for a little too long. The lines became blurred and I began to develop feelings for him.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t end there. One evening, the anonymous patient casually mentioned to the therapist that it would be nice to celebrate his spiritual progress with someone.
Amazingly, the therapist then came out afterwards, bought them several drinks, and offered to do just that. “I thought he was just being kind and supportive,” the patient said.
“But deep down, I really hoped that he would acknowledge that he felt the same way I did. We sat closer than usual and at one point, he reached out and held my hand. I felt the tension between us.”
“He complimented me on my progress and told me how proud he was of me, which honestly just made me feel even more lustful. His words were sweet and before I knew it we were kissing. It felt surreal, like a dream.”
One thing led to another, and the pair were allegedly soon sleeping together. In the UK, sexual relationships between patients and healthcare professionals are considered a major ethical breach. National Health Service.
But in this case, the Reddit user didn’t reveal their location or the name of their therapist, which was shared on the forum, dividing many.
One person wrote: “As a psychologist, please report him. It is his job to keep the therapeutic environment safe, yet he has made multiple decisions to violate those boundaries and exploit your vulnerability. You have done nothing wrong and you have a right to safe mental health care.”
Another added: “The client-therapist relationship is complicated and should be handled very sensitively. It’s natural to have mixed feelings and a range of emotions. This is wrong and it’s not your fault.”
If a healthcare professional has engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a patient or someone they know, the NHS has a dedicated complaints procedure in place. For more information, see click here.
