What happens when a therapist and client fall in love?

“For some clients who fall in love with their therapist, it’s likely a dynamic called ‘transference,’” said Deborah Serani, Psy. D, a clinical psychologist and author of several books on depression. The client transfers an unresolved wish onto their therapist, she said.

Can therapists fall in love with their patients?

Of the 585 psychologists who responded, 87\% (95\% of the men and 76\% of the women) reported having been sexually attracted to their clients, at least on occasion.

What is it called when you fall in love with your therapist?

First, recognize that you are not a crazy or shameful person for having these feelings. There is actually a term in psychoanalytic literature that refers to a patient’s feelings about his or her therapist known as transference,1 which is when feelings for a former authority figure are “transferred” onto a therapist.

How often do therapists fall in love with patients?

Do therapists fall in love?

Therapists’ love is not the acted-out-sexually kind of love. Therapists have bodies, and feelings. It is not unknown for a therapist to have a client for whom they experience erotic feelings. Responsible therapists process these feelings in professional supervision or their own therapy.

Do therapists really love their clients?

But even if they don’t say so directly: Therapists love their clients. Therapists don’t always love their clients. Therapists don’t feel only love for their clients. Therapists love their clients in various ways, at various times. And yes, I’m sure there must be some therapists out there who never love their clients.

Can therapy help people who feel unloved?

People who grew up feeling unloved struggle mightily with giving or accepting love. They also find it difficult to love themselves. In such cases, the love and understanding they receive from their therapist can fulfill those unmet needs.

Why don’t therapists tell you they love you?

Most therapists won’t tell their clients directly that they love them. There are many reasons why they don’t, some rooted in therapeutic effectiveness, and some rooted in an anxiety that it could be interpreted as manipulative or misread as an invitation. But even if they don’t say so directly: Therapists love their clients.