The concept of the 'therapist friend' has been rolling around the internet for a while. I have person experience of being the therapist friend, and the more I looked into it, the more I realised I've had friendships where I've been treated like a therapist all the way back into my childhood.

It's an unhealthy dynamic, and doesn't do much good for either the friend being used as a therapist, or the friend doing the using. Setting down and respecting boundaries is vital to breaking this pattern and bringing balance back into a friendship.

Your friend isn't your therapist. They're probably not trained to be one, and even if they are, they're not meant to be yours. Friendship should be an equal sharing of burdens, and having a therapist friend dynamic is a sign that this has gone completely out of balance.

#friendship #therapy #mentalhealth

Resources:

How to Get Your Friends to Stop Treating Your Like Their Therapist
https://www.talkspace.com/blog/friend...

Your Friends Aren’t Your Therapists: How to Set Boundaries
https://www.newportinstitute.com/reso...

On Being the ‘Therapist Friend’; Boundaries and How to Implement Them
https://www.kdholmeslpc.com/monet/on-...

Being The “Therapist Friend”
  / being-the-therapist-friend  

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