"Fired" by therapist!

[Dying_Swan]

Hi MyNameIsTerry

Thank you so much for your very sensible and rational post. It really is helpful for me to try to look at it that way, and so much of what you said makes sense. I am going to try very hard now to let it go and to move forward.

I think maybe this guilt is a part of the anxiety in general and that can make me quite irrational and turn everything inwards. Thank you again, I really appreciate the time you and others have spent reading and responding to me. It does help a lot.

Hope all is well with you

[anthrokid]

Terry is absolutely right. Your therapist should have spoken to in regards to him feeling that he wasn't able to take you on as a client, no matter the reason. The mental health industry has strict ethical conduct, which includes acting in the best interest of the patient. If a therapist believes they cannot provide the services their client requires, or feels that they are not suited to that client, they have a duty of care to refer that client to a suitable practitioner. The organisation will want to investigate this because this therapist is not acting in the best interest of his clients. The concern of the organisation is probably that you may not be the only person he has done this to, and this is damaging to clients who may feel personal responsibility (as you do) for something that is not at all their fault. As Terry said, if it was a mistake, the organisation will work closely with the therapist to try and amend things and ensure he understands the inappropriateness of his actions.

Don't you feel guilty at all. You are entitled to ask questions about therapy and possible sessions, and your therapist should have been honest and open with you if he was unable to do them rather than sending you around in circles. Perhaps it was just a mistake on his behalf - and if so, even then you have no reason to feel guilty. It is NOT your fault if this therapist gets in trouble. In the mental health profession, THERAPISTS are responsible for their own actions and decisions.

On another note, it's great to hear that you've been to see your GP and have organised a CBT assessment. Also trying to organise to see a clinical psychologist is a fantastic step. If CBT hasn't worked for you previously, linking in with a clinical psychologist for a formal assessment will help in figuring out whether there is a better treatment option availabloe for you. I know it can be quite a wait, even going private, but if you have a few CBT sessions whilst you are waiting to get in, hopefully you'll find a bit of support and relief in them

[Dying_Swan]

Thank you Anthrokid for your reply. It is really helpful. He did eventually explain that he didn't feel it would be in my best interests to have any further phone sessions, it was just that he had previously agreed, so as you said, it sent me around in circles. I am starting to feel a little less guilty now, given that he never mentioned he wasn't actually allowed to take me on privately due to the organisation's policies. And I agree that a referral or suggestion for someone else should have been given, even if he just referred back to the organisation to advise me on someone local.

I had the assessment with the CBT therapist yesterday which went quite well, and she seemed to think that me and my problems are appropriate for CBT. She is going to write to my GP about having a medication review, as I've been on 20mg Citalopram for nearly 9 years and it's clearly not working. She confirmed my "diagnoses" of GAD and depression, but also put my mind at rest about other conditions which I had become fixated on in my anxious state. So she's going to send me some things to do this week and we'll take it from there.

Thanks again for your reply. I appreciate it a lot