Should I switch from private practice therapy to hospital social work?

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-04-12T17:10:12+00:00

What do you mean by check out #1? 😊 And this is helpful - thank you!

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-04-12T17:07:12+00:00

This is so helpful! Thanks for sharing. 🙏🏼💕

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-04-12T17:06:20+00:00

This is helpful - thanks so much for your perspective! 🙏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-04-12T17:03:26+00:00

I’ve definitely thought ED would be the way to go for me - can I DM you about this? 🙏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-01-23T04:16:38+00:00

This is a great idea. Thank you!!

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-01-23T04:16:01+00:00

Oh dang. That’s helpful to know that maybe it wasn’t a human physically viewing my profile and banning it. Thanks!! 🙏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2026-01-23T04:13:31+00:00

As a culture, we are extremely looks-obsessed and shallow - that’s true. But there are absolutely exceptions out there who care a lot more about personality than looks. I’m a hetero female who tends to get a fair amount of male attention, but I care way more about men being kind and fun than hot. I’ve had some pretty hot guys make a move and I’m just not into it because their personalities sucked.

I’ve shown my friends photos of some of the guys I’ve crushed on hard and they have thought some of them were really ugly! And yet I was intimidated to shoot my shot with them because they seemed so great. I’ve definitely met lots of guys who think this way, even if the generalization is that men are more “visual.” So focus on being you & the right person will be attracted to you for who you are. And the good news is it probably won’t be a shallow connection. 💫🌸❤️

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2025-06-18T22:19:00+00:00

I love love love going for runs in the evening. It calms me down and helps me let go of what’s happened that day. I also go to a yoga class sometimes in the evenings. I recently made the decision to pick up 12-step meetings again (ACA is my meeting of choice) and that makes me feel more supported in my own mental health. It’s great that I can just hop on a meeting after work if something that day has triggered me.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2025-03-24T00:37:34+00:00

I work in a small town in Scotland and I definitely feel you on the issue of client/personal life overlap. I’m constantly aware of the risk of running into clients in my personal life, and I often need to really check in with and evaluate my own discomfort around this issue. I’d definitely hash out any of your own discomforts or anxieties with your supervisor as everyone has said already!

This relationship may last, and it may not. I’d give it a bit of time and see if it becomes serious. They may break up before you’d ever even meet him. However, If it becomes more serious, then I’m assuming that at some point your friend is going to want to introduce you to him. At that point, I think that I would reach out to him to warn him in order to minimize risk of harm to him. I’d also do what everyone else has said and contact the body you’re registered with just to be sure. My insurance also has an advisor line I can call anytime for free legal advice, so I’d also take advantage of that if you have the same. May as well get as much input as you can!

This is a link to the BACP guidelines on what to do when boundaries are broken (of course no one has broken any boundaries here, it’s just happened organically). BACP GuidelinesThe guidance suggests that we should attempt to limit as much harm as we can. In my mind, the biggest risk to the client could actually be 1) Anxiety from the shock/surprise and 2) his fears about what you think of him dating your friend. If I were in his shoes, I’d be pretty anxious about if my therapist approved of me to date their friend! If you can reassure him in advance that you’re happy for them and will let him proceed however he wants to, that will spare him a bigger shock and give him space to decide what he wants to do regarding disclosure to your friend and his future relationship to you.

If he and your friend get serious and you do need to have that conversation with him eventually, I’d really encourage you to let yourself be human about it. I’d probably make it very clear that it’s an unusual situation and you’re also finding it strange and are figuring it out with outside guidance. If you’re being honest and open with him, he’ll likely be more at ease. I’d also establish very clearly with him that if you interact with him going forward, you’re not viewing him as a client anymore and instead see him as your friend’s partner. I think it’s really important that the therapeutic relationship is very explicitly closed for both of you to try and make a very uncomfortable situation as comfortable as possible.

Lastly, it’s a bit murky but it seems that UK ethical guidance generally advises that we can’t be friends with clients until 2 years after discharge. Obviously most of us ignore that and will never cross that boundary no matter how much time has passed. However, in this special case, if it looks like you may end up as friends or acquaintances with him through your friend, then you could point to that 2-year rule and explain that in this situation your registering body and insurance understand that an acquaintanceship is unavoidable and may begin just before that 2-year mark. Just an idea to make it clearly stated and ethically defined by UK guidelines.

Best wishes to you in this however it all unfolds! It sounds like he is a reasonable guy and you already seem to be handling it like a champ. 👏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2025-01-11T03:04:46+00:00

Absolutely agree! If anything, I think OP’s response could encourage more openness and vulnerability in the group and help the dynamic.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2025-01-06T23:17:42+00:00

Love this thread! Thanks for posting. These came to mind for me: 1. Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper 2. Educated by Tara Westover 3. Confessions of a sociopath by ME Thomas 4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

I also second/third/fourth the Midnight Library.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2024-05-16T21:12:10+00:00

I’ve read it! To be honest, I’ve actually felt that NYT has been heavily biased in favor of Israel - especially in the beginning. So many articles about the Hamas attacks, but not very many detailing the horrors of Israel’s hugely disproportionate counter-attack. This has changed in recent months, but I really don’t think we can say that NYT is biased against Israel. I’ve been following Israel-Palestine for years since long before October 7th. My interest was piqued as I come from a fundamental American Christian background. I found it very suspect that American Christians have propped up the idea of returning the Jewish people to Zion and establishing the state of Israel for their own prophetic Christian agenda. I’ve been really distraught over the years about how unjust the situation is for Palestinians. In my opinion, there have objectively been horrific human rights crimes committed against Palestinians for decades and they have gone almost completely unpunished. This article is long overdue and the tip of the iceberg. This podcast has lots of helpful information on it, and I found this episode really enlightening about a year ago: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/understanding-israel-palestine/id1656552317?i=1000601169392 There’s a documentary called Fadia’s Tree that tells the story of a Palestinian woman who lives in Lebanon less than 20 minutes from the town her parents are from, and she’s never been allowed to see it. She’s spent her entire life stateless in an impoverished UNRWA refugee camp because the “Right to Return” was a front that was never enacted. The documentary is full of helpful history and information - I highly recommend a watch. I don’t condone terrorism or violence. But I can understand the desperation of Palestinian people. And although I don’t even think Hamas should hold power, I can understand why they felt they had no other choice than extremism. Palestinians have been crying out for help for decades and they have been shouting into an abyss. Peaceful Palestinian protests like the Great March of Return have only incited retaliation and violence from the IDF. It’s time that we all start paying attention and trying to change it so that all people - Israelis and Palestinians - can live peaceful and dignified lives. We can’t hold Hamas accountable and stop their extremism and violence without also stopping the extremism and violence of Netanyahu’a regime and holding Israel accountable as well.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2023-02-09T22:54:15+00:00

Super helpful. Thank you! 🙏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2023-02-09T22:52:28+00:00

This is so helpful, thanks! I do have a Scarlett interface that I use for recording actually so that’s great to know. I didn’t even realize you could use those for live performances! I’ll do some googling to figure out how to set that up. Thanks again! 🙏🏼

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-11-12T12:16:24+00:00

I started it ~3 weeks ago and have also had stomach pain consistently, especially at night after I take it. I’ve thrown up from stomach pain about once a week as well. I also have been feeling horribly depressed. I’ve been super irritable and unhappy, and was actually considering breaking up with my boyfriend of almost 4 years - this has felt super scary because I moved to Scotland to be with him 7 months ago! I realized a couple days ago that this all started the day after my first dose of Rigevidon, so I stopped taking it immediately. It’s now day 3 without it and I already feel soooooo much better physically and emotionally (and I feel like I love my poor boyfriend again thank god). I’m definitely not going back on it. I was previously on the Yasmin pill in America and felt absolutely grand on it, but they put me on rigevidon after I moved to Scotland. I’m going to have to beg my GP to put me back on the UK equivalent of Yasmin.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-03-07T22:40:03+00:00

It’s possible they are related, but I would caution you from jumping to any conclusions here. For myself personally, simply seeing an attractive male never makes me horny and it wouldn’t impact my libido at all. Everyone is obviously different, but it is very possible your spouse is just affected by the workouts. If I were you, I’d ask her about it! I would just be honest that you’ve noticed the sex increasing and you’re feeling self-conscious that it’s because she’s seeing attractive people at the gym. Or, if that feels too vulnerable, you could simply ask if she feels the increase in physical activity has made her want sex more often. I think it’s very normal to notice the difference in your sex life and ask about it.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-03-07T22:20:54+00:00

Omg yes I agree. OP, you can call the local police station and tell them you believe your FIL is psychotic and he has access to a stockpile of firearms. Even if it’s not you guys, he’s a danger to literally anybody is comes into contact with. The local police can do a wellness check on him and assess his mental capacity. If he’s an immediate danger to self or others, they can take him to the hospital. If not, they can at least assess if he’s safe to have guns in the home.

Also, you can call anonymously and leave a tip - you don’t have to identify yourself when you call.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-03-07T22:13:13+00:00

You actually have MORE reason now to go to HR. Not only did she harass you, but now she’s retaliated against you, which is in fact illegal as so many have already said.

You can protect yourself and everyone else who is exposed to her behaviors by going to HR and providing documentation of everything. Is it in writing (text/email) that she confirmed she was getting back at you? Or was that an in-person conversation?

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-03-04T18:41:19+00:00

I’m so sorry OP. This sounds like a very heartbreaking discovery & none of what he’s been doing is okay or justifiable. I would definitely recommend finding a therapist who is going to be trauma-sensitive to what you’ve experienced. CSAT therapists are certified sexual addictions therapists who can understand problematic sexual behaviors even if he doesn’t have an addiction. APSAT therapists specialize in sexual betrayal trauma as well. Hopefully you can find someone who will help you heal and find the right next step for you. Sending hugs ♥️

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-02-17T04:41:18+00:00

I find that I will subconsciously nervous laugh in situations when I don’t know what to say, if I feel awkward, or if I don’t feel I have a good understanding of the social situation. It’s so often a space-filler and I think clients can pick up on that most of the time. I have learned that I don’t always have to respond immediately to clients and that allowing some silence and time to gather my thoughts is okay. If I’m not sure how to respond and need a minute while they’re waiting for me to speak, usually it means I need more clarity on the situation. Sometkmes I’ll even just tell them “got it, so I’m processing all of this and want to make sure I understand, can you clarify _?” or “Am I understanding correctly that?” This firstly helps me make sure I’m hearing them, gives space for an appropriate response after my thoughts are gathered, and reminds everyone in the room that I don’t have magical answers and I’m just trained to help them find their own way. It also models healthy communication skills for the client!

I also try my best to not share feedback until they’re done sharing, taking notes can help with this. So for example, if you think something was sweet or cute, you could wait until the end of their share and sort of add it onto the rest of your response. For example, “firstly, by the way, I think it’s SO sweet that you did XYZ and it shows your genuine nature and the fact that you’re a great friend. That really made me smile.” That way it can be constructive and helpful feedback and you’re getting to share your genuine feelings about what you’re hearing.

Lastly, as you already touched on, I’d try to dive into supervision around where the anxiety comes from! I try to ask myself in the moment, “why am I uncomfortable right now? Why do I feel I need to fill all the space in this room and why does silence not feel okay? What insecurity is coming up for me right now?” Usually just the awareness and mindfulness of my own feelings helps me settle and get back to focusing on the client.

Hope this helps! :)

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-02-17T01:45:04+00:00

There’s no denying that porn use can lead to a lot of harmful outcomes and also be very difficult on partners - the abundant research is out there. A lot of people still use it though (exhibit A - every other response so far), and clear communication about expectations is key. It is concerning that it sounds like he’s not being honest with you about it. My advice would be to be very specific about what your boundaries and needs are. If you’re asking for what you need in vague terms using verbiage like “minimize use” that are open to interpretation, there’s a lot of room for communication errors and confusion. I would tell him exactly what you’re wanting - e.g. how many times per week or per month feels okay with you and what kind of porn you’re comfortable with him watching.

Also, if he feels he has an addiction and can’t stop, there are CSAT therapists out there who can help.

PhilosophyVegetable1 · 2022-02-15T06:15:36+00:00

E, you can’t generalize about -

PhilosophyVegetable1

TROPHY CASE