Season 1 Ep 13: Why is Subsequent Therapist Syndrome Common in Our Field?
In the last episode, Dr. Ofer Zur stated that he estimates at least 50% of board complaints in some way involve the subsequent therapist encouraging a client to initiate a complaint against a prior therapist.
And most of these cases do not involve egregious misconduct or predatory behavior.
Many of these cases result from misunderstandings, clients who are unreliable reporters, gray areas, differences in theoretical orientation that result in disagreement about the use of therapeutic practices, or poorly handled therapeutic ruptures of the sort that all of us have been, or will be guilty of, at some point in our careers.
So of course, I keep asking myself why.
Why is this phenomenon so common in our field? Why are therapists so frequently getting involved in the complaint process against other therapists? And what is it about our field that makes this more likely compared to other professional fields with board complaint processes?
Today, I’m digging into the contributing and converging factors that may explain just what it is about therapists that makes this phenomenon possible.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
How the savior complex that drives many of us into this field may motivate therapists to encourage clients to initiate board complaints
How risk management mentality and differences in theoretical orientation converge in our perceptions of harm
How professional isolation and the uncertainty inherent in this work contribute to subsequent therapist syndrome
Why curiosity and building real community may be the antidote to our unhealthy professional culture
Learn more about Riva Stoudt:
About Riva
Riva Stoudt is a therapist based in Portland, Oregon. When she's not working with patients, she likes to talk about all the things a therapist isn't "supposed" to talk about.
