After
about six months of psychotherapy I had a dream in which my
psychotherapist was shown to be indifferent and uncaring. My psychotherapist
trivialized the dream, as she does with most dreams that I tell her about.
Now I have stopped telling her my dreams. Ever since this dream, I seem
to be getting nowhere in therapy and feel as though I am wasting my time.
I tried to talk to her about all of my feelings as transference,
and she got annoyed with me. . . . She made me feel very
foolish. . . . When I told her I wanted to terminate with
her . . . I asked for my file. She said that . . . she
had no file, but rather notes on pads in different places. This stuck me
as very odd. I have to wonder where these notes are lying around, and who
is reading them. Do you find that odd?
It seems clear to me that your dream most likely was the
result of your
unconscious perception
that your therapist lacks the ability to treat you properlyand
I mean that both humanly and clinically. Her inability to
interpret your dream,
and her inability to respond clinically to your attempt to discuss
transference both
point to her being one of those bad therapists I mention on this
website. Its to your credit that you perceived this fairly early on
in the relationship.
I say the following
about clinical records on my page about
confidentiality
in clinical psychology:
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In the US, federal
laws governing the nature and confidentiality of mental health records may
be overridden by more stringent state laws, so psychological practice can
vary from state to state. But in general a psychotherapist is required to
keep some basic records that consist of the dates of your sessions, your
fees and payments, and clinical notes that describe and justify your treatment.
(An exception to this would be when a client requests that records not be kept,
for the sake of anonymity.) The clinical notes can vary in length and detail
according to the preference of the psychotherapist, but in general they
shouldnt be too detailed, and you have a
right to ask about
them. All this information is kept in your individual chart along with general
office forms and any other information relating to treatment, such as the
results of any psychological
testing. |
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Depending on the laws
of your state, your psychotherapists lack of clinical records could be
considered both an ethical violation and clinical negligence. You
dont say what sort of therapist she is. If shes a
psychologist,
you could contact the Board of Psychology and file a complaint. (Heres
a link to find the Board of Psychology in your state:
Roster
of Member Boards of Psychology.) If shes an
MFT or an
LCSW, then you
would have to contact the appropriate agency for those licenses. (In California,
the website for the Board of Psychology lists the addresses of the other
licensing agencies.)
As for choosing
a new psychotherapist, I have
a page on that
subject on this website; I can add here that you might look specifically
for someone who practices
psychodynamic
psychotherapy. In addition, then, you could ask if the psychotherapist
has had experience in
dream interpretation.
You can also ask about the persons own psychotherapysomeone who
has been in
psychoanalysis
is more likely (but not guaranteed) to be sensitive to dream work and
transference issues.
And then, use the very first session to determine how that person treats
you; that is, does he or she give
honest, non-defensive
answers to your questions? Does he or she show a balance between listening
and taking the lead to guide you? And, the best test of all is
whether you leave that first session feeling that you have been both challenged
and supported and that you have actually learned something new about yourself.
Then pay attention to your dreams!
No
advertisingno sponsorjust the simple truth . . .
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