EP 4 - Is Your Therapist Actually Safe? with Lisa Kays

In this episode, I speak with Lisa Kays, a practicing licensed therapist about how the harmful behaviors in learning and spiritual communities can show up in licensed mental health spaces. This isn't an argument against therapy, but a fuller context about the field - from power imbalance of the therapist-client relationship, what it means when a therapist has the power to diagnose, and signs of an unhealthy group environments. We cover Why licensure doesn't guarantee safety How the therapist-client hierarchy can undermine your trust in yourself What it means when a therapist has the power to diagnose How group therapy can create coercive attachment dynamics Pathologizing departure — "I'm worried about you" as a tool of control Bullying in a professional training space, and the silence that followed Why so many therapists are trained never to apologize What consent-based, accountable practice can look like Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:42 Therapy & Enabling of Harm 03:51 Licensure Doesn't Mean Safety 06:33 Power Dynamics in Therapy 09:58 Experiences in Group Therapy 12:29 Signs of a Harmful Group 18:27 How Are Those Who Left Treated? 23:28 Coercion & Pathologizing Departure 32:34 When No One Intervenes 43:13 Empowerment & Liberation 45:16 Diverse Paths to Healing About Lisa Lisa Kays, LICSW, LCSW, LCSW-C, is a psychotherapist in private practice. She hosts the podcast "What If Nothing Is Wrong With You" and writes about power dynamics, consent, and accountability in mental health spaces. https://shifthappenscollective.com https://shifthappenscollective.com/po... https://shifthappenscollective.substa...   / thelisakays   Healing After Harm & Heena   / healingafterharmpodcast      / @healingafterharm     / heenaconnects   https://heenaconnects.substack.com/ https://heenaconnects.com