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Therapists Who Totally Blew It: The WTF Stories People Shared When They Fired Them
“There’s no way you have bipolar I don’t see that for you” – said the therapist, followed by an involuntary hospital check one week later for mania. Oops!
She forgot TWICE that I had recently lost my brother. Then she said, “What if you just reached out to him and told him what you’re feeling?” Uh, with what? A Ouija board?
She encouraged me to stick it out while I was facing domestic violence. Spoiler alert: I left them both and I’m doing way better now.
Turns out, the “right therapist” isn’t just about fancy degrees or awards. It’s more about finding someone you vibe with — like a friendship but with less texting and more feelings. Psych experts say you want a therapist who listens, gets you, and isn’t all about talking *at* you. Homework? Maybe you love that, maybe you don’t. Everyone’s different, okay?
I have severe anxiety and intrusive thoughts, and her expert advice was, "Well, you've gotta change your mindset and stop having anxiety." Ummm, why didn’t I think of that?
I’m about to leave mine. We do Zoom calls, and I saw her reflection in her glasses: she was scrolling on her phone *while* I was talking. Then, in the middle of our session, she went to get her DoorDash. No thanks!
She told me I had generational trauma from the Irish potato famine. Yep, that mysterious famine from centuries ago apparently explains all my issues. Thanks, therapist?
Way too many therapists act like "shrug and ignore" is a treatment plan. Some folks shared stories about therapists who totally shrugged off their feelings or got weird when asked questions. Spoiler: therapy should make you feel safe and understood, not like you’ve stumbled into a confusing episode of a reality show.
After telling my therapist I have a distorted image of my body — knowing it’s not true but still seeing something different in the mirror — she grabbed a piece of paper and drew a scale from skinny to fat. Then she pointed near the ‘fat’ side, like 80% fat. Thanks, I guess? I was *underweight* for most of my life and finally at a normal weight. Why was a drawing necessary?
I got way too attached to her and started not being honest because I didn’t want to disappoint her. Classic people-pleaser problems in therapy form.
Marriage therapist started following my husband on Instagram. Like, what? That’s not ethical, is it?
Got a specific snag in your brain wiring, like anxiety or PTSD? Try to find a therapist who knows their stuff about that. And if meds might help, a psychiatrist might be your go-to. Oh, and don’t sweat switching therapists! It’s like dating. You gotta find the right fit, and ghosting is sometimes the only way.
She kept pushing religion on me even though I told her multiple times I’m not religious. No means no, right?
She got her 4th DUI and ended up in the newspaper all banged up from a wreck. She was helping me process childhood trauma from an alcoholic… yikes.
I asked for help with my eating disorder and she just told me to follow some intuitive eating girl on Instagram. Yeah, BYE.
Couples therapy with my ex (when we were still together) and the therapist let my ex vent about their mom. When I mentioned the cheating, they said “that’s a harsh word, let’s use ‘infidelity’” and tried to convince me cheating was understandable because “marrying for real love is fairly new.” Yep, I stopped going.
I'm a therapist myself, and my last one gave me business advice that turned out to be illegal in California. Yep, that’s a plot twist.
Apparently, some therapists can’t resist pushing their personal agenda or acting like the star of the session. The real deal? They should be helping *you* stand tall, not turning you into a therapy hanger-on. Trust your gut—if you’re scared or more confused after a session, nope, time to bounce.
I ghosted her because she kept getting my name wrong and couldn’t remember anything from past appointments. She even suggested I go to therapy at an old workplace... then suggested it again the next week.
The more we talk about it, the cooler therapy gets. It’s not just for folks in crisis—everyone’s checking in on their mental game now. In 2024 alone, roughly 14% of U.S. adults popped by for some therapy love. That’s a lot of couch chatting!
I told her about my fear of dogs and like clockwork, she laughed and let her two dogs in the room. Literally traumatizing. LOL.
She was constantly on her phone during sessions, gaslit me, talked about herself nonstop. Then I found out she’s under investigation for serious allegations with the psychotherapist board. Nope.
I was seeking help for religious trauma from being raised in the Mormon cult. Walked into his office and there was a giant picture of the Mormon temple plus family photos in Mormon clothes. How did he think that would help me?
Young adults are totally on board with therapy, leading the pack in couch time. Older generations? Still a bit shy, thanks to stigma that’s definitely not helping anyone’s mental mojo.
I went through a miscarriage due to physical abuse by my ex husband and my therapist basically said, "You can have more babies." Yeaaahhh... cool.
Found out I was ex-Mormon and she was Mormon, so she tried preaching the Mormon gospel to get me back. Also, she talked about her daddy issues more than mine.
Why no one talks about therapy openly? A mix of ‘should just tough it out’ vibes and cultural or family drama. Plus, some traditional views that therapy is a no-go for certain groups. And yep, women are still the therapy MVPs, dominating those appointment lists.
My old therapist said my ex almost hit me because he was worried about me and loved me. Never saw her again. Lowkey turned me off therapy.
She told me I curse too much and need to stop. I said, "Ma’am, my life is literally in shambles and you're worried about me cursing?" Seriously?
Couple therapy: I had a one-on-one with her and she started crying because I reminded her of her own story. That’s when she started encouraging me to leave.
She tried to get me to date her son. The next one cried more than me in my session. After that I gave up and just prayed and read my Bible. Feel way better. A win is a win.
Money talks — and therapy listens — but it can be pricey. In the U.S., expect to pay $100-$200 an hour unless you’re lucky with insurance or fancy public options (where waitlists can be longer than your last grocery line). But hold tight, find your therapist—you’re worth it!
My first therapist told me, “I don’t think I have the tools to understand you. Maybe you should find someone else.” The second said, “Why are you here? You seem to identify your problems easily.” Yeah, I know. HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT, SUSAN. Third therapist was late to every appointment, so I ghosted her. Fourth was hard of hearing (not her fault but I talk fast and needed someone who could keep up). Then it took her two months to find a replacement, and after ONE session, the new guy said he was moving. So now I’m done with therapy…
I would tell her the most traumatic things and she’d follow up with, “And how did that make you feel?” Like, I’m actively crying — NOT good, Cathy.
She started to catch on to my drinking habits and lying, so I ghosted her. Two years later, I went back and I’m sober now. LOL.
She agreed with *everything* too much and said I taught her things because I was so emotionally intelligent. Thanks, but I don’t need a rookie therapist.
She told me I should seek emancipation from my parents, and I told my mom — who immediately made me stop seeing her.
She started doomscrolling literally during our session thinking the screen didn’t show her phone. Not slick.
I was there to talk about my childhood and she wouldn’t stop saying how she just “couldn’t believe” I had autism (I was diagnosed).
He insisted that I hug him before I left appointments. I was so uncomfortable I asked the office to make him stop. He didn’t. He was the only person my insurance covered, so it went on for a year. One day, I called to make an appointment, and he wasn’t there anymore. Half the story.
She tried to read my energy through tarot without my permission… energy cyphs are real, but nope.
Told me to google how many calories I should be eating for my weight and to watch “The Lovely Bones” after I told her I struggled with body image and eating.
Trigger warning: I was struggling with an eating disorder and she told me that I’d never look like “Bella Hadid skinny” and that I wasn’t thin enough to have an eating disorder. I cried for hours.
In response to the Diddy case, she said, “Don’t you think they’re just trying to bring a Black man down?” And when I’d tell her any problems I was having, she’d share her screen and google vitamins.
Made me list all my ADHD symptoms, then talked about her daughter and asked me if I thought she might have it too.
I was sent to a therapist as a child and told her about my mom’s boyfriend physically abusing me. She asked what my goal was by sharing and then called him after the session. I almost didn’t survive the retaliation. And no one believed me.
My last therapist was a religious zealot who tried to convince me to “pray away my PTSD” during therapy.
My last therapist told another therapist, “God, that girl is just too much, I can’t with her,” while I was still in the lobby right after our appointment—and we made eye contact. I was going through a rough time and had trouble expressing emotions, but yeah, I never went back.
He told me I had “male authority figure issues.” When I asked for a referral, he asked if I was sure I didn’t want to work on those issues with him. Lol, no thanks.
I talked about possibly transitioning and the first thing she suggested was EMDR therapy. Umm, no.
Either she responded with “That's terrible!” or just stayed completely silent. Supportive, much?
He wasn’t really doing anything, so I stopped seeing him. But THEN he stalked me and called five times a day from different numbers.
He left a voicemail hoping “Kia” would be at the next session. Maybe Kia showed up... but KAI sure didn’t! (My therapist of 6 months).
She basically used me (an openly queer woman) as LGBTQ+ Google, even though I was there to talk about performance anxiety. I just checked the 'queer' box on my chart.
Broke my trust and confidentiality, lied about it, and blamed my sister with autism (I have receipts).
She (a mental health counselor) told me I need to change meds and wrote down a couple different ones. I told her she isn’t a doctor and hasn’t seen my records, and she begged me not to tell anyone.
First session with a new, MALE psychologist (first mistake). I opened up about my sexual assault. He said, and I quote, “Well, that was a very long time ago, so...”
I want to stop seeing her. She uses her phone mid sessions, says all dads don’t show love like her dad, cancelled my appointment for someone “more urgent,” and tells me people will leave me because of my scars. I have BPD and fear abandonment. She’s trying to manipulate me.
Told her how isolated I felt when I broke my back, and she looked me in the eyes and said, “I don’t believe you broke your back; you wouldn’t be here having a convocation if you did.” WHAT?! I had x-rays and was wheelchair bound for six months.
Mine retired and before we hung up on our last call, he said, “I really hope you outlive me and I don’t ever see you on the news.” We had the same sense of humor. I miss him every day.
I made my (not anymore) therapist cry. Telling her my sexual assault story triggered her, and I had to comfort her. I paid $80 to comfort her. That sucked.
She insisted I tell her 3 things I’m grateful for before she’d let me end the session. I’m not grateful for my tiny rented bunkhouse or food — I earned those. She didn’t listen when I told her I hate platitudes.
I work in vet med and was struggling with some intense PTSD and work-related stuff that she just didn’t understand (takes vet med trauma to know vet med trauma, tbh).
My therapist told me, “You’re very self aware. I’m not sure you need therapy.” Then was confused why I canceled my future appointments. LOL.
She told me at 14 years old that I wasn’t really depressed and was just trying to manipulate her into making me feel better. Bitch, you’re my therapist! How does telling you how I feel equal manipulation?
I had a really severe reaction to a medication I didn’t even need. It caused a two-year psychotic episode. My therapist complained that I wanted to be taken off it. I had to threaten cold turkey to get a taper. Then they dropped me for “resisting treatment.” Now I’m permanently disabled.
Old therapist at the VA: “I think you deserved it because women don’t belong in the military,” when I discussed my sexual assault.
More like a counselor in an academic setting. When I said I should stop wasting time on friends who bullied me, she said I was being too judgmental. Seriously? They put me on wild goose chases and made fun of me. Nope.
She kept looking and talking to me like I was an idiot or a small child. I was 20, and she worked in the adult psychiatric clinic.
I quit many therapists. One was too rude and forgot appointments, blaming me. Another tried to “cure” my ADHD with Freud and writing down dreams. Yikes.
The last one said, “Honestly I’ve taught you all I can, but I’m a DBT therapist and I’m not informed enough on your condition to properly treat you anymore.” I genuinely appreciated that response! She was helpful when I needed to learn DBT, but once I had learned it all, I needed someone more specialized. The one before that? When I told her about my sexual assault, she asked if maybe I DID consent but blocked it out because of religious shame. GIRL, WHAT?!
My original Black female therapist got a promotion and switched me to a non-Black female therapist who canceled my very first appointment. Haven’t been to therapy in 3 years. My OG therapist specifically told her I don’t like canceled appointments—they agreed she’d keep all. Nope!
My last therapist would get mad at me while I expressed issues and would scroll through her phone the ENTIRE session multiple times, so I ghosted her and never went back.
She wanted to focus on diagnosing me with ADHD and engaging me as a professional with theory while I was there to work through the grief of watching my mom die.
She told me about her sessions with a close coworker of mine. If you’re talking about her to me, I assume you’re talking about me to her. Not okay. It was my second session; never went back!
One was through work with an app, they never answered any calls even when we set a time to talk, and if I messaged they’d take months to respond. Another was good about answering calls and messages but annoyed me because she never gave advice. Like venting to a friend who never knows what to say. Then she said I should learn to work through my own problems and noticed I had a psychology degree, so I didn’t really need her. Thanks, Aaron and Christina — for the lack of help.
Mine was a childhood trauma therapist, and she straight up told her supervisor she could no longer see me because my childhood trauma was too much. Her supervisor had to tell me my next scheduled visit, and I was like, I just got to the age of 9. Never found another one.
I told him I didn’t want to bring up certain things yet he kept bringing them up and then said everything was private but told many adults like my family and adults I didn’t even know.
I had a therapist give me 4 different diagnoses and then told me I lied about everything I ever told her.
I left one therapist because she told me to write a letter to the man who sexually abused me, and she would look him up and mail it. So I did, gave it to her... then she stuck it in a file folder and put it away. When I asked why, she said it was just an exercise for me to express how I felt. Then don’t lie to me! I was 15 and wouldn’t talk to her after that, so my parents stopped making me go.
She spent 40 minutes talking about her own problems: starting a new practice, mother issues, and tried to double charge me for the session.
My therapist said how I can have depression because I look so happy. She still helps me, but that sentence was kinda odd and left me speechless.
Validated everything I said. I can do that by myself, queen. I need you to help me break these habits.
She gaslit me. I have BPD, and she specializes in BPD. She used my issues against me and made me sound crazy to my partner when he talked to her.
She literally didn’t remember anything from previous sessions and seemed like she needed a therapist more than I did. My chiropractor remembered more about my life than she did.
She was a White lady with dreads — but also after I told her mindfulness and meditation exercises are not useful to me (especially with my ADHD), she said she would take that into consideration, then gave me mindfulness and meditation exercises in our next session.
Old therapist literally forgot who I was. She called me the wrong name 3 times and when I corrected her, she insinuated I was delusional.
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