Do Former OCD Sufferers Make The Best Therapists?

[taurean]

We often talk here about therapy and whether the therapist can truly understand the horrors of what we experience. 

Some former sufferers do become therapists. Do they make better therapists? 

I have had lots of CBT therapy for OCD from various therapists one of whom was a recoveree from my theme, harm OCD. 

Did it make her a better therapist, more understanding, more empathic? 

It meant she certainly knew what I was experiencing, but the CBT therapy she rolled out was textbook stuff as taught her during her training. 

People have often said to me that I should train to be a therapist because I have learned and applied CBT and know what sufferers are going through. 

Well, training to become a therapist is for me not going to happen. I am 68 years old, happily retired from a successful career in business!

I think perhaps the biggest problem with some therapists is their belief that one size fits all - lack of flexibility. Just working to a set routine, a set pace. And not being prepared to amend their initial assessments because they feel they know best. 

I don't think that is formed as a result of not having themselves been a sufferer. I think it's partly their opinion, and partly a lack in understanding during training perhaps. 

I felt I was talked down to by my first therapist - and I didn't feel any attempt on his part to interpersonally connect with me, to build a feeling of confidence and trust. 

And when he determined a course of treatment - flooding, where you carry out intense exposure for long periods - I challenged that as being right for my circumstances, and he took offence. 

I was convinced he was wrong and terminated the therapy. Other therapists confirmed that proposed treatment was wrong for me. 

I think any failings in therapy aren't due to them not having been sufferers themselves. 

[Justine]

I thought people with no ocd tendencies (certainly in what type you are seeking treatment in) are generally better as they push you to take more risks. Probably varies by therapist, someone kind but firm is what I preferred. 

[snowbear]

The short answer is - no.   (In my opinion.) 

 I think OCD sufferers can make very bad therapists. There's a tendency to get caught up in thinking 'this is what worked for me so this is THE way to treat OCD' and then to fail to change their approach if it isn't suiting the person they are advising. 

But of course we are all individuals. A good therapist is able to call upon a wide range of therapy techniques and approaches in order to  tailor therapy to the person. 

[taurean]

47 minutes ago, snowbear said:

A good therapist is able to call upon a wide range of therapy techniques and approaches in order to  tailor therapy to the person. 

I think this is the crux of the matter.

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

I think so. No doubt that a person who have recovered can be a bad therapist but I don't think that is the question. A person who have had the condition can relate in a way that a person who haven't can't. Nothing strange really. 

But the most important thing is knowledge, no doubt about it.

[taurean]

I was watching celebrity Eggheads today and the challengers were a team of TV and media real practising doctors. 

A young lady doctor called Linda on the team is apparently considered to be one of the 20 best mental health therapists in the country. She said she thoroughly enjoys her work and the different challenges it brings. 

She also beat her Egghead in the head to head. 

I bet she would tailor treatment to the needs of the individual patient - I couldn't see her being dogmatic and dictatorial. 

[dksea]

I don't think having or not having OCD will be a significant factor in whether a person makes a good therapist or not.  Certainly it is a tool that a person can utilize if they do go in to therapy as a profession, it will give them insight in to what sufferers experience, however when you look at what treatments are utilized towards OCD (such as CBT, mindfulness, etc.) I think having a good grasp on those as well as a dedication to helping others will be much more important factors.  In some cases having experienced OCD might hinder a persons ability as a therapist by relating too much to the patient for example and being more reluctant to push them when necessary.

Given that one of the core difficulties with OCD is the difference in how our minds perceive risk and doubt vs a "normal" person, one of the important roles a therapist plays is serving as an outside voice to help push us towards more healthy behaviors.  Unfortunately, as is the nature of most mental illness, our own reluctance towards challenging those behaviors can get in the way of our recovery.

For example, above Taurean mentions a situation where he felt uncomfortable with the option offered by the therapist.  While its true that not all options are best in each situation, its also true that sometimes doing what we feel comfortable with is not the right answer either.  After all if we could do what we are comfortable with all the time, we wouldn't really have a problem?

In the end, a good therapist, like a good trainer in any area, will strike a good balance between helping you feel at ease and pushing you beyond your comfort zone.  Too far in either direction is not helpful.  And learning how to balance those two opposing needs is, IMO, unrelated to whether or not a person has deal with OCD personally or not.

[taurean]

That's a nicely balanced post dksea. 

Just a bit more on that first therapist of mine and his proposed treatment. 

I was consulting him at a time I wasn't suffering from an episode of OCD. 

The brief I gave to him was how to use therapy to tackle those episodes when they occur. 

The proposed action of throwing me into an episode, and constantly into distress through flooding, was wrong - in timing and methodology. 

What I needed was understanding how and why I suffered. How to work at using a hierarchy of exposure to triggers to gradually disarm them. 

So it wasn't a comfort issue. It ought to have been all about telling me I couldn't just wait for an episode to start, I would have to do the learning and chip away at the OCD with the changing of my behavioural response.