She responded by pointing out certain things and saying they’re red flags, and I shouldn’t be with him, ending with, ‘I don’t understand why smart, disciplined women like you end up with men like him. It’s sad.’ So, I responded with, ‘Thanks for my lesson on red flags — guess it’s time to change my patterns!’ She looked confused, so I said, ‘You’re a red flag. Don’t worry about me interrupting your snack or nap time next week because you’re no longer my therapist.’ I ended the Zoom call and canceled my subscription." —Kate, 30, Texas I went to another therapist and got a diagnosis of PMDD and the treatment I needed. No way I was going to allow her to label me with bipolar just because her computer’s drop-down box doesn’t have PMDD." —Leena, 40, Florida —catgoesmoo —Anonymous, 27, USA A year later, I am still with my amazing boyfriend, and after switching to another therapist, I’m in a great place in life. Therapists all have different strengths and weaknesses. If you’re not getting what you need from yours, don’t feel guilty about switching gears." —Mae, 22, South Carolina —waterwindandsky I fired her after the start of the next session when I brought up these two issues and tried to give her a chance to reword things or apologize. She didn’t. I told her that her style of communicating was making my issues worse and that I was done. She looked bored and didn’t fight me about it. I’m still struggling with anxiety, but now, I’m scared to try a new therapist." —Anonymous, 29, Vermont For years, I complained about not being able to sleep at night and being tired all day. Then, during one session, after 10 years of seeing each other, she suggests taking my meds earlier. FIVE HOURS EARLIER. Lo and behold, the meds she prescribed me and told me to take right before bed were the cause of my sleep issues. That pissed me off so much that I sought out a new psych." —Phillip, 31, Denmark —funkmistress
