The “harmful” therapist:
She meticulously tie-dyes scarves and wears glass beads in her hair positioning herself as “down to earth” and never allows the client to be late, even when they are working class and even when they are sick. She is strict and numb to the human response to the human emotions of her client. Or she sits with her legs perfectly crossed, never blinking. She swears like a sailor even when her client is morally conservative. She talks about her life, her pets, and her favorite movie, and talks more than her client. Her client is afraid to speak. She bawks at them, “You should really try XYZ!” Gleefully she expels information only she knows, “The neural network composed of ganglion, dendrite, and the gap through which different channels, different salty ions create a polarization that attracts the electric signal from one side to the other…” “See it all makes sense!” “You’re simply a robot. A mixture of predictable behaviors based on your environment.” She takes the hand of her client and presses it to her own heart, “Feel that beat.” She reminds you that she is this well of knowledge and the client disappears in comparison.
The “ideal” therapist:
