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Dealing with Difficult Mental Health Professionals

December 20, 2011 Becky Oberg

How she got a job on our unit, I'll never know.

When I was a patient on the borderline personality disorder (BPD) unit at Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, we had a patient-led group. Staff stayed out of this group; it was strictly for us.

L (name withheld) didn't care. She came into the group, and when we protested, accused us of "plotting against staff" and said we needed to "respect my authority."

This was not going to end happily.Step 1: Document, document, document!

"What's your name, please?" I asked.

"Who's speaking?" she snarled.

"What's your name, please?" I asked again, remaining calm.

"Step outside and we'll continue this conversation." Was that a threat? It sure felt like a threat. I politely refused. "Okay, conversation's over," she said. We ended the group early, then went to talk to other staff about what had happened. I went to my room and began to journal about the exchange.

The most important thing you can do if you're dealing with a difficult mental health professional is document. I can't emphasize it enough--document, document, document! The sooner the better; memory can be fickle and it's vital to remember exactly what happened. Write down what occurred, when it occurred, and the names of witnesses, if any. Documentation is vital to prove your case.

We presented our complaint against L to the rest of staff. We never saw her again after that.

Step 2: Debrief

Another important thing you need to do when dealing with a difficult mental health professional is debrief. Talk about how you feel about the way you were treated. Air your grievances. Let people know that how you were treated is unacceptable, and why you feel that way.

One time, a crisis counselor named M (name withheld) made several derogatory comments about people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in general and me in particular, finishing with a question about my sexual habits ("Are you shacking up (with your boyfriend)?") and a sexually explicit comment about my parents that I don't dare repeat. I reported the comment to her supervisor.

I talked about how her treatment made me feel. I explained it was inappropriate because I was in enough pain as it was. I explained that my sexual habits were my own business and irrelevant to the reason I was seeking counseling. I explained that the comment about my parents was extremely upsetting. The supervisor wrote her up, I talked to someone else, and the situation was resolved.

Step 3: Is it worth complaining about?'

Even if you document and debrief, which I highly recommend, you still have to decide for yourself if it's worth complaining about. Although the law forbids retaliation, difficult mental health professionals can and often will do so. For example, the next time I sought crisis counseling when M was on duty, she threw my chart across the room and refused to meet with me. She said I could wait the seven hours until another crisis counselor came on duty. (Fortunately, another one decided to work overtime and meet with me.)

If you can file a complaint anonymously, consider doing so. However, keep in mind this is often impossible, especially if the complaint is directly related to your treatment. Keep these points in mind when you consider filing a complaint.

Sometimes a complaint about a difficult mental health professional may be filed by someone else, and the powers that be come talk to you. This is why documentation is important--you need to be able to recall whatever happened. A case in point--when I was at Larue Carter, a nurse was accused of double-dosing patients. This is a huge no-no in the state hospital system since the medications are very powerful. Staff came and talked to me about it. Since I'd kept a journal of when the medication mistakes were made, they were able to cross-check my journal against the nurse's notes and prove that she'd done it on multiple occasions. We never saw her after that.

Dealing with difficult mental health professionals can be frustrating. However, it is vital to be able to do so. You may be the one who stops the abuse of power.

APA Reference
Oberg, B. (2011, December 20). Dealing with Difficult Mental Health Professionals, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, November 17 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/borderline/2011/12/dealing-with-difficult-mental-health-professionals



Author: Becky Oberg

Missy
December, 27 2011 at 12:03 pm

I am glad someone wrote this article! I've been wishing I could speak with someone about all that has happened to me; but because I have already made my thoughts known on more than one occasion, I have received horrible retaliation. Several years ago I had a wonderful counselor; but when she transferred to another state, it was like I ended up with the counselor from "heck". Haven't been able to find anyone quite like my favorite counselor and so I know that my mental health has declined because of my hard feelings about everything that has happened. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a professional basher of mental health people; but after I voiced my concerns more than once, I now have the label of BPD. Never had that diagnosis previously, so I believe it has to do with the fact that I complained about some things. When I found out some other patients were told about my diagnosis, I still couldn't prove it or they didn't care that they were spreading misinformation about me, etc. Believe me, it is hard to even ride the bus when you hear other mental health patients talking about you out loud to others. Making fun of you, etc. I'm not mentally retarded and only have been diagnosed otherwise with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder two or three times. I have some college education, so I'm not actually a dummy; but I believe that with all the abuse I have endured, that now I am actually mentally deficit. I used to be a 4.0 g.p.a. student; but that doesn't do me any good anymore. It hurts a lot; but was happy to see someone wrote about difficult mental health care providers. Thank you and Happy New Year!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Becky Oberg
January, 9 2012 at 5:17 am

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you find a better counselor

justaSeeker
December, 23 2011 at 4:12 pm

Is it ever too late to complain about an incident?
I was more than a bit angry over being dismissed at group therapy.
I don't mean just being kicked out of the session, I'm talking about being kicked out of the program entirely.
I didn't complain back then because I was too angry and confused about it all at the time it happened.
I still remember the incidents leading up to my dismaissal, and my feelings about it all. It wouldn't be too hard for me to find out the date it happened.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Becky Oberg
December, 26 2011 at 5:51 am

I don't believe it's ever too late, although you may want to explain the reason for the delay. Good luck with finding some resolution.

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