Shrink carefully
Look for indications that your therapist is out of bounds
JUST how much should you trust your therapist?
In the new Netflix drama “Gypsy,” Naomi Watts plays a meddling shrink who infiltrates her patients’ lives, forming illicit relationships with their loved ones. Most ethical breaches don’t go that far, but New York therapists tell The Post that plenty of bad things still go down on the couch.
“In every profession, there are people who don’t play by the rules,” says Kore Nissenson Glied, a New York-based therapist.
Here are some warning signs to look out for and ways to keep your patienttherapist relationship strong.
They say weird stuff
Because of the sharing that comes with therapy, sometimes a patient will think ev- ery single comment or question is OK, but there are no-go zones. Glied says you should be wary if a “session feels more like it’s about the therapist than the patient; if the patient feels uncomfortable at any point; and certainly if the therapist is divulging a lot of personal information.”
They give concrete answers
One way for a patient to open the door to an unhealthy situation with a therapist or coach is to expect them to dole out advice. “The role of a therapist is not to tell the patient what to do . . . The role of a therapist is to help them answer those questions,” says Glied.
Connecticut-based marriage counselor and author of “90-Minute Marriage Miracle” Jeff Forte adds: “It’s not about, ‘Should I leave this job or that job?’ ‘Should I leave my wife or not?’ Should I have this affair or not?’ ”
They’re overeager
Glied says to also be wary of therapists who “contact the patient. Usually the patient contacts the therapist.” Other red flags can be texts from therapists or “a message not related to appointments or therapy,” she adds.
They don’t have good referrals
Someone can have dozens of years of experience, but the most important thing is a trustworthy referral. “You can have a bad therapist whose [experience is] one year, or 30 years,” Glied says. Seek out recommendations from good sources. “Definitely not Yelp,”she adds. “The best places to go are organizations within the field.” She recommends FindATherapist.com.