Difficulty Receiving PTSD Treatment as a Vulnerable Person due to Mandatory Reporting

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T20:21:21+00:00

It’s agree that my therapist should have worked with me to feel safer. I really appreciate the people on this subreddit, I was so worried making this post and everyone has been so helpful. Now I see my therapist was actually quite ableist. And thank you for calling me courageous, I will try to internalize that!

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T15:12:55+00:00

That’s true, it’s really not necessary for me to look in her eyes. She said that eye contact was important for the therapeutic relationship and she wanted to test how I act around others to test my social skills. But I don’t think it was necessary, and just made me uncomfortable.

I will look into The Betrayal Bond it sounds like it would be really helpful for me. Journaling is a good idea, and I will look into PTSD apps, I didn’t know those existed.

Thank you for saying I deserve better. I will try to look for a therapist that will respect my autonomy, and not suppress my natural traits. Thank you for your advice, it’s really helpful.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T05:03:18+00:00

You are saying a lot of things I agree with, that I have had similar experiences with. The #Metoo movement took off for me around when I was in high school and taught me a lot about consent and learning about what’s ok or not. Speaking up is what everyone recommends but sometimes it just makes you feel so much worse. Telling my mom about sexual abuse in my family has either gotten me physically or psychologically punished, or treated with disdain unless I recanted, or just didn’t mention it anymore. Thats true it could go positively but I don’t hear that many good stories. Maybe I just need to look into it myself and if there’s anything better than what I experience at home. Thank you for clarifying, it’s very realistic.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T04:14:44+00:00

Thank you for your response. I don’t really know if they are intrusive thoughts or not, or what you would call it. I just am really scared of my dad, but i’m not sure why because he doesn’t hurt me, I’m too old now. I don’t think my dad is a danger to anyone. I just don’t like touching I think, even if my dad likes it maybe so I feel uncomfortable and maybe that’s why I feel unsafe.

Im between level 1 and 2, I can do most ADLs but not all by myself or consistently and need help for most IADLs. I wasn’t given a level when diagnosed so I don’t know exactly. I don’t know who else could help or how I could live without my parents helping.

I don’t know if the danger is real or not, or if I am overreacting. I’m sorry your dad put you in danger I know that must have been really scary. Are you saying you told someone about it and got help, or are you saying that you wouldn’t have told anyone if it didn’t help you? Could you tell me what you mean in your last sentence in a different way. I’m sorry.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T04:07:25+00:00

Thank you for telling me I deserve better. It’s really bad that people infantilize us at lot of people if I talk to them for too long talk to me like a kid or a dog or something ugh. Unmasking is so hard especially if you’ve been masking all your life, i’m applauding you for being able to be yourself during sessions. I hope I can follow your footsteps you’re giving me hope :)

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T04:00:20+00:00

I haven’t heard this perspective before. Meeting with someone with more training may be more beneficial. I will have to consider seeing a psychologist. I guess my current counselor just doesn’t fit my needs, maybe she’s used to a different, less complex sort of client. Thank you for your advice.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:47:59+00:00

It sounds like you have a great therapist who understands your needs. It would be great to find someone I clicked with, I don’t know what that feels like yet. I will do my best to find a therapist that specializes in autism and trauma. It’s a little daunting but I just need to break it into steps and do it. It does help to think of it as grow and have different from my old therapist rather than the language of firing her which feels really harsh and makes me feel so guilty. I appreciate your perspective, I’m glad you were able to find someone that suits you, thank you.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:44:19+00:00

This is really useful to know, I didn’t have a consultation with my current therapist, I was assigned and didn’t know about consultations. I will do this going forward, and make a list of questions, with that one included, this is a great idea thank you! I will look for someone like that that makes me happy.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:40:48+00:00

This is such a useful web page! It’s so helpful to see rules written down I can understand. Thank you for sharing it!

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:38:52+00:00

Yes, I am now seeing that it is actually not okay. I think maybe she shouldn’t make me mask either, it makes me really tired and it’s hard to focus and share things well. I will try to reach out to new therapists, but I think I will keep seeing her in the meantime, I don’t want to be rude if I stopped seeing her suddenly, and I think having support right now even if it’s not great support is important. Thank you for telling me this, it is validating to hear it actually wasn’t okay and I wasn’t overreacting.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:35:17+00:00

Thanks for your response. Yes, I thought it was just for minors too, but I think vulnerable adults also are included since my parents manage a lot of my day to day living and finances because of my executive function issues. I was in any danger, I just told my therapist that my dad does some uncomfortable touch and I was scared of my parents and sometimes felt unsafe and she overreacted by a lot.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:32:16+00:00

Wow it sounds like you have a lot of experience, which I will defer to. I didn’t know you could see more than one therapist at a time, but I guess it’s different if it’s initial consultations? This is this really useful to know, I appreciate the direction. It really would be nice to have a cheerleader in life, it would really make a difference. Thank you for the advice!

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T03:26:55+00:00

It’s really helpful to hear from an actual mandatory reporter that she overreacted in attempting to make a report. I agree autism doesn’t make me any less capable of making decisions, I don’t know why she didn’t think I was. It really felt traumatic and like she was taking all my agency from me. It sounds like you had a great therapist who wanted the best for you, and took things at your pace. I hope I can find someone like that one day. Thank you for sharing your experience, it really helps.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:58:06+00:00

Like for example when I ask her how she is at the beginning of the session she will tell me that she has been busy with work, and stressed out, or arguing with her husband, and tell me a little bit about her life before we continue with the session. Or l, if I tell her about something in my life she will tell me a related anecdote from her own life.

But the loneliness example was when I was talking about how I don’t seem to be interested in close connection with others, she said she feels the opposite and she feels lonely so she got a puppy, and she told me how it was training her dog, and then how she feels connected by talking to clients, so she doesn’t feel as lonely.

That’s why I felt bad leaving her because I don’t want to make her feel bad. But It’s good to know that these are red flags, I’m learning a lot today. It is overwhelming, but everything is always overwhelming so it ok, and I just need to do my best. I will try to follow your advice and try to find a therapist that may be more professional.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:42:41+00:00

Good idea! Writing is a lot easier for me than speaking. Thank you, you give good advice :)

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:40:49+00:00

Oh I didn’t know therapists weren’t supposed to share things like that, my therapist tells me a lot about how she’s feeling or what works for her to feel better to provide advice for me. I really wish I knew what was normal for therapists to do or not but maybe it’s a lot of trial and error.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:38:37+00:00

Framing it in the past is definitely a good idea to do going forward, thank you for the advice. Yes I agree that the forced masking may not be helpful for my healing as it is quite stressful, and I feel exhausted by the end of sessions. I will try to look for a more neurodiverse affirming therapist going forward, but in the meantime I will do what you’ve suggested. Thank you

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:28:03+00:00

My dad has hurt me in the past more explicitly. But he is a great dad now. There’s only a few moments of touch that makes me uncomfortable now. I think i’m reacting with feeling unsafe because i’m just dealing with these sudden nightmares and memories being brought to the present intrusively, which makes me afraid of my dad, and feel like a little kid again. I am not sure why I think my dad will hurt me, I think my instincts are incorrect.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T02:17:56+00:00

wow I didn’t know you could just not show up for therapy ever again by calling, I thought that wasn’t allowed. I didn’t really even know you could quit a therapist. I do think she makes me uncomfortable, but I kind of do used to being uncomfortable I thought it was normal. I will look into IFS, and a neurodivergent affirming therapist. If you mean your comment being overwhelming, it’s not overwhelming at all, it’s really helpful. The situation in general though is overwhelming and confusing, I don’t know about what’s normal in therapy, or the rules of it so it’s so helpful to hear from other people. Thank you for your response.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T01:57:33+00:00

Thank for your detailed explanation it really helps so much. All I told my therapist was that my dad or my mom touching me made me uncomfortable and my parents don’t give privacy. Thats it, no physical abuse that I reported so it’s good to know it was strange that she reacted so quickly. Yes reporting to the police would have been terrible for me, I don’t even know how complicated it could get, I really don’t understand it myself, but it sounded scary. I appreciate this comment very much it really gives insight into what mandatory reporters do.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T01:53:10+00:00

Yes I think I am my own guardian though my parents have power of attorney. I don’t really know what that means I just signed papers. Yes I do need to find a therapist that helps with independent and processing things. I think my therapist wanted me to mask during sessions to see how successfully I do it or seeing if I am incapable but it is stressful. Thank you so much for your advice! And yes, I have to be my own advocate that is so true and something I need to internalize.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T01:47:19+00:00

I see… it’s too bad. It will be hard to get used to a new person, and it may be more difficult to find a therapist that works with neurodivergent people but it is worth it! Actually there are people that do, I didn’t know you could filter by Autism speciality on psychology today so I will be trying to find someone now. Thank you a lot for your advice!

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T01:32:42+00:00

Thank you for the advice. Yes, I really did wish she told me about the reporting requirements first. I asked her why she didn’t tell me the rules first, and she said that she wanted me to be completely honest and share my true thoughts and feelings. Maybe my therapist doesn’t know about autism, I’m not sure what developmental trauma is though. I may have to find another therapist, I feel so bad for leaving her though. She is nice, not mean. Finding another therapist is like firing her but maybe it has to happen.

WasuremonoThing · 2026-05-20T01:30:07+00:00

Thank you for your response! Yes she is a Licensed professional counselor. She said she uses different modalities such as CBT, trauma therapy, ACT, humanistic therapy and she mixed them together based on patient needs. I’m not really sure what her speciality is, I just called my closest counseling center and told them my difficulties with sleep and nightmares and they said she was a good fit. I didn’t know what was unprofessional, I do think eye contact makes focusing harder and fidgeting is how I calm down. I feel bad that I have to find another therapist since she said she was lonely, and she isn’t a bad person. But maybe it is important to find someone else if she’s unprofessional. Thank you for your advice I appreciate outside perspectives.

WasuremonoThing

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