The job of a therapist is multifaceted.
They have to be excellent and active listeners. They must be masters at holding space for people that need a safe zone to spill it all.
They must know when to interject and push a behavior change, and when to let the client discover the need for change on their own.
So it really is quite rare that a therapist actually makes the move to give advice to a client. It's usually a careful decision to intervene when all other therapeutic approaches haven't yielded results.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always do the trick. In fact, one recent Reddit thread asked people about the times their therapists gave truly terrible advice--so bad it left the patient scratching their head about whether to continue on the following week.
taiwanna asked, "What is the worst advice a therapist has given you?"
Never Good to Guilt Trip the Patient
"I give you a safe place to cry and you don't cry."
"I have bipolar and this was after my husband died. I was in a mixed episode. Because of my meds I seldom cry. It was as if she expected me to cry on cue."
Tough to Prove
"A 'therapist' once told my friend the reason why she fought so much with her sister was because they were enemies in a past life, reunited to solve their problem." -- TunyG
"What the actual f***? Surely this wasn't a licensed professional. If so, I imagine they lost their license soon after."
"Hopefully." -- Basgerin
Chances are it is NOT Pokemon
"My first childhood therapist thought that Pokemon was the root of all of my problems. Turns out the root of all of my problems was severe childhood trauma." -- mouthwordpasta
"I'm so sorry to hear that Pikachu mistreated you that way." -- kirotheavenger
"Omg! Mine said rap music was my problem. Hahahaa! Not all the trauma or death of my father... no rap music was my problem. 🤦♀️🤦♀️" -- Andandromeda3821
Only One Way Out
"I had a therapist who really, really insisted that I have to believe in a higher power of some sort. Yeah, I know that has proven positive effects for some people."
"Doesn't mean it works for me. Plus I'm not just suddenly going to start believing in something I haven't for decades, so can we move on, please?"
Heather, the Nonbeliever
"I had one tell my homophobic parents during family therapy 'Don't worry, a lot of teenage girls think they're bisexual. She'll pick a side before she's 21'"
"I'm almost 22 and still haven't 'picked a side', so f*** you Heather."
-- rayqueerza
An Extremely Morbid Approach
"One therapist asked me what I wanted for myself. I said I wanted peace. She said: You will have peace in the grave." -- wintersweet05
"W H A T" -- DaktiloTuna
"what the actual—" -- thatonebandgeek
Seems Like a Personal Choice
"'You need to have another baby'" -- sidewhiner
"Wtf, a therapist said that? Like an actual f***ing therapist? Bruuuuuuh" -- Cheese_globe
"How was that supposed to help you?? 'Here, have another responsibility and more stress. That will solve everything.'" -- bookishweirdo
Just Stop Being You, Okay?
"Stop being sad and speak to people...im depressed with social anxiety and autism" -- DuplicateSolace
"I once had a therapist tell me I should go to events alone, and start talking to randomers, when I told her I might have social anxiety. Stopped seeing her after that comment.." -- theantonia
Sure Fire Way to Explode Later On
"To keep my feelings to myself in order to not cause problems with my family." -- Sigridhavorrk
"f***ing YIKES" -- ThermonuclearCream
"Bottle it up lol duh"
"I mean, really, how did these people get certified? They're teaching the exact opposite things to do. Even I know you don't do that, and I'm f***ing stupid." -- Basgerin
The Least Fun Fact
"Saw a therapist because of my OCD."
"Told her I had to make my bed every morning in a very particular way, and, in an attempt to get me to 'break that habit' she decided to tell me that 'actually, making your bed traps all the germs in your sheets, which is actually way more gross, so it's better to not.'"
"Result: I was both scared to make my bed and not make my bed. Great."
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