For a kid struggling in an inpatient facility, special attention from a professional might feel like a lifeline, but in the hands of a predator, it’s a leash.
What would you do if you discovered that your teen’s therapist was preying on them and had pulled them into a romantic relationship?
This 15-year-old boy was recently sent to an inpatient facility to help him deal with his mental health. While he was there, he was assigned a therapist in her 20s, and after his release, they still kept in touch.
Actually, he says they formed an instant connection while he was still hospitalized, and they ended up having a ton of things in common.
“Eventually, we exchanged numbers in secret and began texting 24/7 and FaceTiming every single night, sleeping on call and stuff like that,” he explained.
“We even hung out outside of the hospital when I was given passes to go home for the night or a weekend. I would tell my parents it was a friend from school and that their parents were the ones picking me up.”
“I had gone to her house, we went all the way to a different city for an event, sometimes we’d just go to a park. We got very close, but nothing intimate ever happened. I know for a fact it would have happened very soon, though, and I wanted it to.”‘
In one of the final chats he had with his therapist, they both admitted to having feelings for one another. They also came to the decision to make their relationship official.
The very next day, his mom and dad told him they knew about the romantic relationship he was having with his therapist. His mom had grown suspicious and looked into his phone records, which gave his secret away.
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His parents screamed at him, took every device away from him, read all of the messages between him and his therapist, and then sued the hospital.
He’s left grieving his relationship, even though he’s aware it doesn’t sound good to people on the outside looking in.
“I know it’s technically wrong, but she genuinely made me happier than I have been in as long as I can remember, and I have never felt so much love and connection towards someone,” he continued.
“I feel guilty every day for letting this get out. I don’t even know what happened to her or how the legal case is going because my parents have very much shut me out of the process.”
He has a lot of resentment for his mom since she was the one who pieced it all together. He understands his mom is just trying to protect him, but he thinks she destroyed his life.
There is no way for him to contact his therapist since he no longer has his old devices, and due to the lawsuit, there is a protective order in place barring him and his therapist from speaking.
His parents have gotten him a new phone, but they put so many parental controls and restrictions on it that he can’t use it to message or call his therapist.
“I often think about turning 18 and reaching out. I wonder if she would even respond or still be interested. I never even got to say goodbye,” he concluded.
Therapists are not allowed to date their patients, as it’s an ethical problem. On top of that, he’s a minor, and she’s an adult, making this all the more ugly.
This poor kid was completely taken advantage of and put in an inappropriate position, and it’s good that his mom intervened before it got worse.
I know he’s young and hurt and can’t see all of that now, but I hope that one day he does and comes to appreciate his mom having his best interests at heart.
What advice do you have for him?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
