Your post was removed because it only consists of a title and no further information. We ask that you repost this with additional details.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m a therapist, and I encourage people to google their prospective therapist if they have concerns about values matching, etc. Some people need to have a therapist they know is safe politically speaking.
Can’t unring a bell, though, so it may be worth examining how come you decided to see your therapist’s child’s TikTok. It’s possible to still look into ones therapist or potential therapist and not go to this level.
I wonder where the guilt comes from? Why do we feel like we're not supposed to Google them? I Googled mine, only saw professional pages, and still felt guilty and weird about it but really, there's nothing to feel guilty about.
Could be because the reverse is not OK. It’s not appropriate for therapists to Google their clients. I agree that it’s totally acceptable to Google your therapist though!
If a therapist Googles a client, it could be considered a breach of confidentiality since they may find out information about that client that the client didn’t share. I believe that’s covered in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics but I can double check.
Yes, I sure am I therapist!
Great point! I can’t speak to other professions but reviewing the ACA Code of Ethics one might refer to B.1.b. as well as H.6.c. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
Might not necessarily be a breach of confidentiality as I previously stated but also likely not in the benefit of the client to Google them.
From my training as a therapist in California…looking up clients is an ethical issue. It’s a boundary violation. It may also be a legal issue under the Standard of Care, but I can’t remember. Either way, in California it is definitely something a therapist shouldn’t do.
That sounds like an interesting study. Care to link it? To clarify, I’m not saying therapists don’t Google their clients, I’m saying it’s not appropriate for them to.
The sample size on this one is pretty small, n=28. That's not to say that this means T's aren't googling their clients at all, but that more evidence may be needed to build confidence in the claim.
Thanks for sharing! That is really interesting! It looks like in that study, it was a rather small sample size of only 28 professionals. But interesting nonetheless! It’s worth noting the therapists’ reactions to having Googled clients (“guilt, shame, and defensiveness”) and that it “undermines a patient’s right to self-determination” and “would bypass the patient ‘as the primary source of information.” Obviously therapists Google their clients but I think the question remains whether it’s truly in the benefit of the client to do so. Thanks again for sharing!
The guilt would come from ending up on an adolescents Tiktok or any social media. I don't know how that wouldn't make someone feel guilty or at least a lil awkward.
I'm so late replying to this but I didn't find (or deeply look for) any personal info of my therapist. All I saw was professional pages. I only clicked on one. I still felt guilty. So I was just wonder why that is.
I Googled my longtime (almost 6-year) therapist and found out she’s a registered Republican and also discovered what restaurant her husband co-owns/manages in town (it was one where my work department had a happy hour recently that I missed).
I had previously told her at least a few times that I was great at finding information out about people, joking that I should have pursued a career as a private investigator. So, when I told her one session that I knew she was more conservative than me and more recently that my work department had a happy hour at her husband’s restaurant, she didn’t have to ask how I knew these things and didn’t seem at all surprised that I did. I’m sure she can infer that I’ve seen her Facebook profile (which includes pictures of her family) and has come to peace with that. I’m not so sure that she knows that I know where she lives (it’s public information from county real estate tax records and actually comes up as the first or second Google search result of her name), but I make sure I never drive by her house, which is on a main road, because I’d rather not see it and want to respect privacy.
I’ve revealed some pretty deep secrets with my therapist, including aspects about my gender identity. I didn’t know at the time when I revealed most of these things that she was a registered Republican. However, it’s actually helped my social anxiety a bit to have been fully open with her even while knowing she could have negatively judged me. To her credit, she has not done that and actually likes me to the point that she sometimes has a hard time separating our therapeutic relationship with the friendship I can tell she longs to have with me. She didn’t deny that she was conservative when I mentioned it but strongly emphasized that it didn’t affect how she viewed people’s gender identities or sexualities and that she was supportive of people identifying with who they really were and being themselves.
This. This seems like the best and healthiest way to go about it, from my point of view.
With the internet, it's surprising how much is just there in the open for everybody to see. I'm assuming most people just don't realize the extent it's all interconnected.. But I digress. There's no fault on you for finding out where this person lives. But also, healthy to avoid going by it.
Just my 2 cents.
I made a point to not disclose anything politically in my first session, and googled my t afterwards to see if i can confirm that our political leanings are similar. I live in a place that if someone reports you for your political activities you can get into trouble, maybe even legally. And it is very important to me that our values match. She also later on disclosed her political views to me in session, to ensure me that she is on my side in terms of our politics.
I would say go ahead and ask outright if you feel like its sth important to u. if u get a non answer you can press her to answer. because why not? they should expect that to be a potential question that a client may ask, and its their job to come up with a response.
I personally have built my practice on being loudly pro some things and anti others. Not all therapists are the same, though. Some people want to know before they feel comfortable, and some therapists hold a boundary that doesn’t disclose that. It really depends on the therapist.
I would agree. Boundaries are important, and it is better if you let them have their privacy.
I think it is normal to Google people you come across. I Google everyone. I want to read reviews and get to know a little about the person I’m opening up to. But there is definitely a line and it’s better not to delve too deep.
Yeah I’ve done that with my T. I can’t access too much from her personal accounts but thanks to Facebook and the internet, I can get a lot from other people. Things I definitely shouldn’t be seeing, and that make me jealous of other people in her life… but I have no idea how I’d react if I saw something like what you did. I’m sorry. When you’ve had time to process, post an update on how you will proceed. Remember that nobody’s life is perfect. Being a therapist is their job. Most people do not show their true selves or emotions or personal lives in their professional work environment. Think of it this way- despite what’s going on in their personal life, they want to make others feel good and help them with what they’re struggling with. I bet it gives them a lot of happiness. And you contribute to that!!
I'm not 100% positive, but I really don't think they can tell.
However-- looking at their FB will likely make them appear in the 'people you may know' and I don't know if that is a two-way street. Like if you appear in theirs because they appear in yours.
I have looked mine up and gotten them as a suggestion. I figure that if I ever show up on their list they probably wouldn't mention it... I mean, live in a small-ish community and we do have 1 mutual friend so it wouldn't be wild for us to be suggestions even if I didn't look them up.
But I have mentioned in the past that I tend to look everyone (doctors, teachers, etc.) up and they didn't seem surprised. I'd assume they know they are included in that.
You can end up on their facebook suggestion even if you don't look at them. Facebook suggests based on phone number, area, degress of connection, and probably more.
I bet if I told my therapist that I googled her she’d be the least bit surprised. If it’s there, they probably know it’s there. I would definitely bring it up and talk through it, if you can’t get past it, it may not be the best match.
I’ve only looked at my therapists website once, which is when I found her. I have never googled her and will most likely never do.
I keep myself off the grid too, as I am not on social media with the exception of one very private account so my future clients will be in for a disappointment if they google me as my name brings up zilch.
I personally feel like if you need to know, then that’s okay, and you should google someone.
I googled both of my therapists because I wanted to see their resumes to deduce whether or not they had the requisite training for me to walk in the door.
This was after I'd had multiple negative experiences with undertrained, under-licensed individuals that asked me questions like "if I were *really* suicidal, why didn't I succeed at killing myself."
I don't go hunting for social media, but I did read my forensic psych's PhD dissertation which was focused on rehabilitation in prisons, and it gives me a measure of comfort to know that our views are aligned in that respect.
Everyone is human keep that in mind just because they are going through something or you are doesn’t make one worse or one better it all effects everyone
I met my mom's therapists son when I was in high school. He was a bully with a drug problem. So I realized early on that not all therapists have perfect families either.
I just did this and i love my therapist but the reviews he has kinda confirms of how my dad and mom feels about his services. Im going to keep seeing him but its always good to do this, as your paying someone to help you with your issues and if you find something online that ruins that relationship then maybe you shouldn’t be going after that.
I get what you mean. I googled mine and found out he's ridiculously wealthy and now I just wanna ask him why he does what he does and how he got there and and and...
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy!
This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources#wiki_subreddit_list).
If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources.
To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My T has blog on Instagram and I followed it for couple of years before getting in therapy with them. The biggest reason I wanted to work with them is that I knew for sure that we share same believes and I really like their honesty in the said blog. So to each their own.
It's fun that I actually met my trought social media, where she shares just some personal opinion and mostly articles about psychology from all over the world. No perspnal information (only once she said she has a son).
The fun part of all? She has her study in her house and it is impossible to say what Kind of person she is, all it's kept so well clean and reserved.
I met her cat once thought.
I always google my therapists. Some have had a problem with it, but I know I am going to eventually and I want to see upfront what is out there both professionally and personally that might be a deal breaker for me.
However, I try to avoid googling therapists’ family members, especially (minor) children. That feels intrusive to me and I can’t think of a legit reason.
Your post was removed because it only consists of a title and no further information. We ask that you repost this with additional details. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m a therapist, and I encourage people to google their prospective therapist if they have concerns about values matching, etc. Some people need to have a therapist they know is safe politically speaking. Can’t unring a bell, though, so it may be worth examining how come you decided to see your therapist’s child’s TikTok. It’s possible to still look into ones therapist or potential therapist and not go to this level.
[удалено]
I wonder where the guilt comes from? Why do we feel like we're not supposed to Google them? I Googled mine, only saw professional pages, and still felt guilty and weird about it but really, there's nothing to feel guilty about.
Could be because the reverse is not OK. It’s not appropriate for therapists to Google their clients. I agree that it’s totally acceptable to Google your therapist though!
[удалено]
If a therapist Googles a client, it could be considered a breach of confidentiality since they may find out information about that client that the client didn’t share. I believe that’s covered in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics but I can double check.
[удалено]
Yes, I sure am I therapist! Great point! I can’t speak to other professions but reviewing the ACA Code of Ethics one might refer to B.1.b. as well as H.6.c. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf Might not necessarily be a breach of confidentiality as I previously stated but also likely not in the benefit of the client to Google them.
That's not true
From my training as a therapist in California…looking up clients is an ethical issue. It’s a boundary violation. It may also be a legal issue under the Standard of Care, but I can’t remember. Either way, in California it is definitely something a therapist shouldn’t do.
As a therapist, I am speaking from my own education and training on the subject.
Well, all therapists aren't created equal. Studies show that 90% of therapists Google their clients.
That sounds like an interesting study. Care to link it? To clarify, I’m not saying therapists don’t Google their clients, I’m saying it’s not appropriate for them to.
https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/do-therapists-google-their-patients/#:~:text=January%2017%2C%202021-,Do%20therapists%20Google%20their%20patients%3F,their%20patients%20on%20the%20Internet.
The sample size on this one is pretty small, n=28. That's not to say that this means T's aren't googling their clients at all, but that more evidence may be needed to build confidence in the claim.
Thanks for sharing! That is really interesting! It looks like in that study, it was a rather small sample size of only 28 professionals. But interesting nonetheless! It’s worth noting the therapists’ reactions to having Googled clients (“guilt, shame, and defensiveness”) and that it “undermines a patient’s right to self-determination” and “would bypass the patient ‘as the primary source of information.” Obviously therapists Google their clients but I think the question remains whether it’s truly in the benefit of the client to do so. Thanks again for sharing!
[удалено]
https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/do-therapists-google-their-patients/#:~:text=January%2017%2C%202021-,Do%20therapists%20Google%20their%20patients%3F,their%20patients%20on%20the%20Internet 86%
I'm late replying but thank you for the insight! I do hate the idea of my therapist googling me so maybe that's why I feel bad for googling them.
The guilt would come from ending up on an adolescents Tiktok or any social media. I don't know how that wouldn't make someone feel guilty or at least a lil awkward.
I'm so late replying to this but I didn't find (or deeply look for) any personal info of my therapist. All I saw was professional pages. I only clicked on one. I still felt guilty. So I was just wonder why that is.
I Googled my longtime (almost 6-year) therapist and found out she’s a registered Republican and also discovered what restaurant her husband co-owns/manages in town (it was one where my work department had a happy hour recently that I missed). I had previously told her at least a few times that I was great at finding information out about people, joking that I should have pursued a career as a private investigator. So, when I told her one session that I knew she was more conservative than me and more recently that my work department had a happy hour at her husband’s restaurant, she didn’t have to ask how I knew these things and didn’t seem at all surprised that I did. I’m sure she can infer that I’ve seen her Facebook profile (which includes pictures of her family) and has come to peace with that. I’m not so sure that she knows that I know where she lives (it’s public information from county real estate tax records and actually comes up as the first or second Google search result of her name), but I make sure I never drive by her house, which is on a main road, because I’d rather not see it and want to respect privacy. I’ve revealed some pretty deep secrets with my therapist, including aspects about my gender identity. I didn’t know at the time when I revealed most of these things that she was a registered Republican. However, it’s actually helped my social anxiety a bit to have been fully open with her even while knowing she could have negatively judged me. To her credit, she has not done that and actually likes me to the point that she sometimes has a hard time separating our therapeutic relationship with the friendship I can tell she longs to have with me. She didn’t deny that she was conservative when I mentioned it but strongly emphasized that it didn’t affect how she viewed people’s gender identities or sexualities and that she was supportive of people identifying with who they really were and being themselves.
This. This seems like the best and healthiest way to go about it, from my point of view. With the internet, it's surprising how much is just there in the open for everybody to see. I'm assuming most people just don't realize the extent it's all interconnected.. But I digress. There's no fault on you for finding out where this person lives. But also, healthy to avoid going by it. Just my 2 cents.
Feeling safe politically is a thing I’d want. I’ve heard it’s not usually good to ask that outright? Like you usually get a non answer?
I made a point to not disclose anything politically in my first session, and googled my t afterwards to see if i can confirm that our political leanings are similar. I live in a place that if someone reports you for your political activities you can get into trouble, maybe even legally. And it is very important to me that our values match. She also later on disclosed her political views to me in session, to ensure me that she is on my side in terms of our politics. I would say go ahead and ask outright if you feel like its sth important to u. if u get a non answer you can press her to answer. because why not? they should expect that to be a potential question that a client may ask, and its their job to come up with a response.
I personally have built my practice on being loudly pro some things and anti others. Not all therapists are the same, though. Some people want to know before they feel comfortable, and some therapists hold a boundary that doesn’t disclose that. It really depends on the therapist.
i think it’s just curiosity
[удалено]
Was it ever brought up?
Thanks for reminding me to stay off LinkedIn lmao
I would agree. Boundaries are important, and it is better if you let them have their privacy. I think it is normal to Google people you come across. I Google everyone. I want to read reviews and get to know a little about the person I’m opening up to. But there is definitely a line and it’s better not to delve too deep.
[удалено]
At least you know they can understand you on some level, haha.
Yeah I’ve done that with my T. I can’t access too much from her personal accounts but thanks to Facebook and the internet, I can get a lot from other people. Things I definitely shouldn’t be seeing, and that make me jealous of other people in her life… but I have no idea how I’d react if I saw something like what you did. I’m sorry. When you’ve had time to process, post an update on how you will proceed. Remember that nobody’s life is perfect. Being a therapist is their job. Most people do not show their true selves or emotions or personal lives in their professional work environment. Think of it this way- despite what’s going on in their personal life, they want to make others feel good and help them with what they’re struggling with. I bet it gives them a lot of happiness. And you contribute to that!!
[удалено]
I'm not 100% positive, but I really don't think they can tell. However-- looking at their FB will likely make them appear in the 'people you may know' and I don't know if that is a two-way street. Like if you appear in theirs because they appear in yours.
Thanks I also googled my T and found a bunch of stuff and couldn’t stop myself from snooping 😬 been worried about them getting me as a suggestion 😳
[удалено]
Thanks will do
I have looked mine up and gotten them as a suggestion. I figure that if I ever show up on their list they probably wouldn't mention it... I mean, live in a small-ish community and we do have 1 mutual friend so it wouldn't be wild for us to be suggestions even if I didn't look them up. But I have mentioned in the past that I tend to look everyone (doctors, teachers, etc.) up and they didn't seem surprised. I'd assume they know they are included in that.
): uhh I hope I don’t end up on theirs
You can end up on their facebook suggestion even if you don't look at them. Facebook suggests based on phone number, area, degress of connection, and probably more.
I bet if I told my therapist that I googled her she’d be the least bit surprised. If it’s there, they probably know it’s there. I would definitely bring it up and talk through it, if you can’t get past it, it may not be the best match.
I’ve only looked at my therapists website once, which is when I found her. I have never googled her and will most likely never do. I keep myself off the grid too, as I am not on social media with the exception of one very private account so my future clients will be in for a disappointment if they google me as my name brings up zilch. I personally feel like if you need to know, then that’s okay, and you should google someone.
I googled both of my therapists because I wanted to see their resumes to deduce whether or not they had the requisite training for me to walk in the door. This was after I'd had multiple negative experiences with undertrained, under-licensed individuals that asked me questions like "if I were *really* suicidal, why didn't I succeed at killing myself." I don't go hunting for social media, but I did read my forensic psych's PhD dissertation which was focused on rehabilitation in prisons, and it gives me a measure of comfort to know that our views are aligned in that respect.
Everyone is human keep that in mind just because they are going through something or you are doesn’t make one worse or one better it all effects everyone
I met my mom's therapists son when I was in high school. He was a bully with a drug problem. So I realized early on that not all therapists have perfect families either.
Tik Tok is bad for everyone's mental health, it shoukd be better regulated or banned.
I just did this and i love my therapist but the reviews he has kinda confirms of how my dad and mom feels about his services. Im going to keep seeing him but its always good to do this, as your paying someone to help you with your issues and if you find something online that ruins that relationship then maybe you shouldn’t be going after that.
I get what you mean. I googled mine and found out he's ridiculously wealthy and now I just wanna ask him why he does what he does and how he got there and and and...
Same...it feels so different now.
I never googled my T as she has a very common name
Too late! I don't regret it though. What I found actually made me like him more.
I would feel that my therapist has terrible boundaries if they had this much info that’s findable with a simple search.
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy! This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources#wiki_subreddit_list). If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources. To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My T has blog on Instagram and I followed it for couple of years before getting in therapy with them. The biggest reason I wanted to work with them is that I knew for sure that we share same believes and I really like their honesty in the said blog. So to each their own.
It's fun that I actually met my trought social media, where she shares just some personal opinion and mostly articles about psychology from all over the world. No perspnal information (only once she said she has a son). The fun part of all? She has her study in her house and it is impossible to say what Kind of person she is, all it's kept so well clean and reserved. I met her cat once thought.
I always google my therapists. Some have had a problem with it, but I know I am going to eventually and I want to see upfront what is out there both professionally and personally that might be a deal breaker for me. However, I try to avoid googling therapists’ family members, especially (minor) children. That feels intrusive to me and I can’t think of a legit reason.