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Feeling like my former therapist betrayed me.

A annieMember
I saw a therapist for ten years for issues involving severe abuse and neglect. I have not seen her for over a year. It recently came to my attention that she wrote a work of "fiction". I read it. The book was about a girl who came from an abusive and neglectful background. Within the book were at least five scenarios that were definately taken right out of my personal history. The detail...everything pointed to the fact that this was my experience. The character's name is different from mine and therefore these experiences cannot be traced back directly to me, but I have been just sick with feelings of anger and betrayal. Isn't this unethical? She is making money off my story even though she is classifying it as fiction. I confronted her by email and she said that it was not totally based on me and that she wrote the book to help others who grew up in a situation similar to mine. She went on and on about how she never intended to hurt or betray me and that she cares about me a great deal. I set up a personal meeting with her for next week. I was happy that she did not get angry when I confronted her, but my angry feelings are starting to creep back in. I don't know what to say to her at this meeting. She does not see that she did anything wrong. I love this therapist very much and the thought of just telling her off and cutting her out of my life is just too much to bear. I feel stressed and stuck!! Any words of advice?
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MallardMallardMember
While she has technically protected your confidentiality, I'm not sure that ethically what she has done stacks up. In your position, I think I would share your anger and sense of betrayal.

I think if I was in your position, I would check out her accrediting body and find out what is considered acceptable, anonymously if you are still deciding what you want to do and find out their take on it.

Confidentiality isn't just about other people finding out, your feelings about your material being "out there", even under a different name, are very real and valid.

At the very least, this was very badly thought out. There is no reason she could not have consulted you about this work of 'fiction' to ask whether she might use some of your experiences as inspiration and you could have had veto over what went in.

I hear really strongly that you care for your former T a great deal and that the threat of the loss of the relationship must make things feel very difficult and conflicted - but you still have a right to these feelings, regardless of how much she helped you in the past.

Have you considered seeing another T to discuss how you feel about this issue? It might help you gain some perspective and help you decide what you want to do next.
heldincompassionheldincompassionMember
Hey Annie,

I'm pretty sure that as long as identifying details are obscured, our life's stories are fair game for the literary efforts of our T's. I mean, they publish case studies all the time. . . perhaps fiction is a little different, I can see how that would feel more exploitative. In any case, I definitely agree it would have been more considerate of your T to check for permission first. (((Hugs))) I hope discussing it with her goes okay for you. Maybe it would be worthwhile to read up on the relevant laws just to know for sure. I'm not entirely certain where one would start with that. . .
puppetpuppetMember
hi annie,

i'm really sorry you have to deal with this and i would also feel very betrayed!

it sounds like she didnt mean anything bad with it, maybe she was even thinking you would be ok/happy with it, well it seems she didnt really 'think' too hard about it! in my (not expert) opinion, i dont think its right. i know there are a few T/writers out there who have done this, but i am pretty sure they have asked their patients if they are ok with this and probably send them a proof of the story. even if she made this a work of 'fiction', its obvious there are so many similarities so she should have checked with you first.

i think even when case studies are written, they probably have to get the client's consent. they also change a lot of the details (not just the name) to really protect the clients confidentiality. generally case studies were written to share within their profession, but these days everything ends up on the internet, so i think they should be even more careful about this (i might have an oldfashioned/ outdated view on this, as therapist blogs and everything being more public seems to becoming the norm)

anyway, just my opinion, she cant hide behind the word 'fiction' and bypass the ethics.

hope you get some resolution when you talk to her and that she hears your side and how it affected you.

puppet

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