An experienced specialist who helped to cope with psychological problems complained to clients about her life. And they listened, sympathized and worried about the condition of the help desk employee. Her behavior seemed to them a cry for help from a person on the verge of a nervous breakdown. What happens when the psychologist and the client switch roles?
When we seek psychological help, we expect the consultation to be dedicated to our problems. We are looking for a specialist who will listen to us, support and give advice. But the fundamental principle of the work of psychologists is not shared by all specialists.
NHS psychologist Martina King used her consultation time to share her experiences. She discussed issues related to her family, work and health with clients.
Complaints against a specialist with 15 years of experience began to arrive in 2018. Clients wondered why the psychologist ignored the problems they came to her with and instead told them about their own difficulties.
After meeting with a psychologist, clients felt upset and burdened by her problems
They described the woman as extremely emotional. So, after listening to the story of one of the clients, she burst into tears, and after the story of another, she became nervous and angry. Once she offered a client a massage: they say she looks tense. King asked clients not to talk about what she shared with them in her consultations.
According to the victims, after meeting with Martina King, they felt upset and burdened with her problems. Some of them were worried about the condition of the specialist, believing that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her behavior seemed to them a cry for help.
She violated professional boundaries by revealing highly personal information about herself.
As a result, the psychologist was invited to disciplinary hearings. Martina King did not dispute that she shared personal information with clients, but claimed that it brought them therapeutic benefits. The psychologist explained that she shared problems with those who came to her in order to show sympathy and give an example from her experience for the situations discussed.
She violated professional boundaries by revealing purely personal information about herself, the commission concluded. The actions of Mrs. King caused anxiety and concern among clients, including for her condition.
The psychologist was declared unfit for practice and suspended from work for six months. Members of the commission considered the risk of repetition of unprofessional and unethical behavior in the future to be high.
Unfortunately, the behavior of a psychologist does not always meet ethical requirements. And this can harm not only the client, but also the specialist himself, his career and the attitude towards him in the professional community.