All Comments on 'The Therapist'

Loved it. I read so very much psychological babble here justifying just about anything. Over the past 50 years of professional consulting I have learned a profound respect for the innate complexity and frank mystery of the human mind and condition. I have also learned a profound disrespect for modern science in general and the modern witchcraft that we call psychological “science.”

Given this distrust, one then reverts to personal observation however limited. While you kind of framed your wife as an extreme to prove your point; this story really focused on how the psychological counselor used their psychobabble to mask and justify a brutal and destructive series of crass manipulative social/political agendas. While you used extreme characters to illustrate your points; I find the toxic irrelevancy of these counseling sessions to ring true in my own personal experiences I have seen the wife’s own broken psyche and inevitable path of toxic self destruction played out in life after life regardless of interventions, counseling, and a plethora of psychological, social, and religious measures.

I particularly find your husband character heartening. Many times you cannot repair your mate because their behavior is too toxic and they either refuse or simply cannot change. I also find his decision to take up the slack for his kids until they mature to be a viable choice. While some would characterize him as a wimp; I find his actions a positive choice throughout this tale. The husband models an example of a mature self realized man who when presented with a unstable mountain explores his own path based on his own common sense observations and the core love of his children. This man sacrifices his short term happiness for his children. After they leave the house, he then focuses on a last effort to assist his broken and toxic wife. When she refuses to face her inner demons, he calmly ends the toxic marriage, starts over, and pursues the rest of his life.

All in all an outstanding story of a mature self sacrificing man, who makes the best of an impossible series of conditions and rescues as many from the pit as possible. The author has portrayed a real man here worthy of study and emulation. This is one of the few stories I have read on this site that leave me somewhat invigorated and hopeful.

Outstanding job here 5 richly deserved stars.

"Dom"

Lol, I loved it. You're still one of the best, and I'll never get tired of your writing.

A sad story with a lot of truths, some that hurt.

I enjoyed this. A lot actually. I don't bristle at stories about bad therapy because it's well established. Couples therapy tends to have more unqualified professionals but I believe that has more to do with licensing requirements than the therapists personality or social views. Many degree or licensing programs do not require course work in couples practice and techniques. A TON of therapists offer couples counseling when in truth they have no foundational training. That doesn't mean they are all horrible. Some have a gift, others have worked for years to develop their techniques. Programs do exist for family and marriage counseling but many allow practicum hours spent on parents and children to meet full requirements. I don't offer marriage counseling it's not my area. I have a colleague when needed.

If any of you are considering marriage therapy. There are great resources online about finding a good marriage counselor. Writing that here would be too long. However, some tips: Remember that therapy is not one sided. Interview and ask questions before hiring a therapist (teams are fine too but the vetting is still the same). Where did they study? Are they licensed in family or marriage counseling and do they belong to any professional societies?

If you are already in counseling: If you don't feel safe (emotionally, physically) with your therapist then find another. If they make you uncomfortable, find another. If they come across entirely one sided as in this story, find another (Remember though, it's a myth that therapists have to be completely neutral). And more. Good luck.

Stunningly brilliant! 5/5!!!

Best statement I have read:

"I lost what was, but I lost that long before the divorce, and I lost what could have been if I ever had that to begin with."

It takes a long time to learn, accept, and internalize that truth.

Very good story from a great author - a great way to start a Sunday morning. Most stories have so many elements of possible but never probable events. This one perfectly describes a man accepting the end of his marriage and any pretense that they can survive as a couple. It was as delicate as possible - even the confrontation in the psychologist's office is handled without going overboard. It's sort of like a story I heard many years back about working - "If you've already quit doing your job, please resign!"

Twelve weeks?. Kind of sloppy, but got the job done.

The word therapist can be split into two words the rapist which is what they do to your mind.

You completely forgot about the therapist.

Well, I expected some revange on the therapist.

Therapy, as a profession, is just quackery. Of course, a therapist can give good advice, but so can a pastor, a bartender, an uncle, a grandparent, a friend, and others. The problem with "counselors" or "therapists" is that there really is no science there; they are just people schooled in whatever fads, which are in essence ideological, that their "schooling" taught them. There is no sure source of good advice, but the therapy quacks are one of the worst bets.

Well done....5 stars. Thanx!

Loklie

I just read several of your stories in a row. Guess being a defeatist but calling it "it's better just walk away" is some kind of kink for you. Even here, where you a bit derivate from it, you ultimately go back to that formula. Coming up with many different scenarios is a good thing, but when they pretty much end on the same note, that isn't.

Nice take on the worthless therapist with an agenda. In this case it was a man hater there are any number of other “bent” therapist out there. The religious nuts, the swinger/swapping advocates, the verbally sadistic control freaks and on and on. Finding a good therapist is not easy, but could be well worth the effort.

The story is well written, as usual.

Excellent. Gave it a 4 instead of a 5, maybe because I would've liked David's new love interest to be more solidified than it was at the point Just_Words chose to cut the storyline off. But 4 or 5, this one's a keeper.

A character study. D

A sad character study, beautifully written. I loved the sarcasm, even though it fell on deaf ears. People perpetuate pseudo realities to justify aberrant behavior clearly unacceptable to a reasonable onlookers. Thanks much. I enjoyed that a lot.

Sad story. David had way more patience than I would have, especially since, given her family history and subsequent behavior during the marriage, she was probably cheating most of the time. I'm also a little confused how Marie could manage to drive given that she has some kind of neuro-muscular problem.

The true realities of life are exposed. Good job!

Solid story, as usual. I get the focus but the kids and their reaction to their "Dom's" actions are completely left out of the discussion beyond the intro. We also have no insight into how the divorce proceeded. Again, I enjoyed the story and plot line, just wish there was content holding it all together. 4*

5* Excellent story. Maybe a malpractice lawsuit against Ms. Quack???

Broken people like this man's wife are all too common. I know. I was married 5o one for 11 years once. She had it all. Still couldn't be happy. 20 years later she once again has it all with another poor sucker. Still isn't happy and cheats on him openly.

Some people are just lost causes.

This was good but myopic, what about his kids? How did they fair? Did they turn their back on their mother; did they try to help her? Did she get a real shrink? What is she doing now? Any dinners with Maria?

/

The story just stopped hanging with a vague ending? We can all hope David found the love he desired/deserved with the blessings of Dom's kids.

/

4*, Hooyah....

I would simply not accept a therapist like that. I know it's common in LW world, but is it really like that in reality?

Good story. Too bad how some get hurt by pseudo professionals. Ruth got the biggest hurt as she was the most in need of help but got none. LP

Well, I'm not good at guessing the endings. I had Ruth and the Quack meeting up for slap and tickle on the side......

A great tale. A very matured narration. Fixing a problem needs a lot of patience. I enjoyed it. 5*

Great story! There are few if any LW authors who can tell a story so completely with so few wasted words as J_W. Perfect illustration of a bad therapist with an agenda. I especially enjoyed the ambush of the cheaters in the Quacks office. Solid, realistic story.

Great story! There are few if any LW authors who can tell a story so completely with so few wasted words as J_W. Perfect illustration of a bad therapist with an agenda. I especially enjoyed the ambush of the cheaters in the Quacks office. Solid, realistic story.

Count me as a reader who did NOT think the husband was weak. Rather, he was responsible and gave the last measure of effort to save a marriage.

.

Loved the way he finally pulled the plug. If there was any small lack in the tale, it would be not having a more fulsome final dialog with tne deluded wife. But then….maybe that was never possible.

.

4 easy ****

I had to stop when it you became a written voice for the echo chamber that used to be Fox nation and every little boy there bitched and whined about "quacks".

Few are like that, but for some reason the laughably tough guy men just do a confirmation biased sweep through others of their ilk and still swing with that incorrect bat.

Doubt it got better because the crying got annoying.

I have lived much of that.

Excellent!

5

Wonderful insightful story

The confrontation scene in the therapist's office was great, but the ending felt anticlimactic. What happened to the ex-wife post divorce? It sounded like she was a terrible mother, so did the kids bother to keep in contact with her?

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"I now had three adversaries to crush"

They all deserved it, but where was the crushing? Nobody got more than mildly dented!

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Ruth: the divorce was an amicable 50/50 split. Where was the BtB?

Bill: the betrayed husband gave him "a pass".

Quack: no consequences whatsoever.

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Making a few sarcastic comments isn't "crushing" someone. The husband was all talk and no trousers!

My partner dragged me to a couple therapist whose only advice was to repeat back to her what ever she said. I was also told my only responsibility in life was to please her. Obviously the relationship failed.

We have two children, a daughter, and an adopted son. Though we adopted our son at a young age, he still had a number of years with a single mom, who was addicted to drugs and alcohol, moving back and forth between the foster care system and his mom until she finally lost her parental rights. He tries to pill everyone in that chaos, constantly sending mixed massage of "leave me alone, don't leave me." I thought you caught that behavior, and the effect on others well.

Cute -- maybe even profound -- and original. 5*

Great 'ambush' in the therapist office. The whole story is kind of sad and the ending just kind of drifts off into the sunset. I didn't see a need for revenge beyond what went down in the therapist office. Life's a bitch, divorce her and move on...

I suspect our Quack is a bit over the top, but therapists who blame the offended party definitely exist out there. Crazy, right? Fun intervention scenario you dreamed up though!

Hubby was selfish. No stars.

Not one of your best lMHO.

Don’t get me wrong l like your works but not this one.

2/5

the worst thing in the story was the therapist even the title but nothing happens to her. she is the root to evil why isnt she being sued or anything for that matter

Major disappointment for me, as I look forward so much to each JW story.

As always, the writing is impeccable, but, actually, nothing very much happened.

I couldn't give it more than a 3.

The only thing that could have made this story better, more honest, is the recognition that he got what he married. No Martian Slut Ray, no sudden change in personality or values or behavior. If you decide to marry a person who has or comes from a family with a history of mental illness you get what you deserve. Running into a burning building to save a life, that's heroism and sacrifice. Marrying a person to save them from from mental illness, substance abuse, criminal behavior? Not sacrifice, but suicide. And to have children with that person? To be the enabler to allow that defect to descend to your children? And you think that is virtue or compassion? Using your children as Guinea Pigs in your own little social welfare experiment? Such a person is a stupid cruel monster.

But I digress. Your guy married stupid, got lucky with the children, maybe, but at least divorced smart. Let's hope his children are smarter and healthier than their parents. The stupid bitch is to be pitied, and avoided. She's poison. Let's hope the poison dies with her. Sad. Take it up with Darwin. Reality doesn't give a fuck.

Thanks for the effort.

Yep good and bad therapist.

a good little poignant story.

thanks Just_Words.

i screwed out the grammar on my first comment.

I meant

A good poignant little story.

Just another wimp story.

And we've got a lot of them on this site, haven't we?

I wonder why.

2 out of 5 from me.

Bad therapist cost me my 1sr marriage. Kept telling me to validate my ex wife's feelings until.I was living in a hotel waiting on her to decide whether or not to reconnect or divorce. After more than a year I told her no decision was a decision of no and filed. Less than a year later I was married to my wife of 19 years. She was never able to find anyone. Sad.

there are many people like Ruth out there, damaged and broken beyond repair, hurting those around them. A 5* story.

Well done in highlighting the incompetence of the therapist. Unfortunately, these creatures are real and while some do a good job of helping people, a number of them have a free reign to operate just as depicted by the one in this story.

Why didn't he get the therapist struck off?.

this story had a great chance, but by the end, it just withered on the vine. :0/

4 stars - This story is pretty average except for the Quack and for the two ex's being served in her office, which is why it gets a well deserved FOUR.

Ruth is almost a carbon copy of my mother. The constant criticisms, the n eed to be in control, regardless of the fact they're entirely unqualified to control everything along with the selfish self absorption. At twlve years old I would ask my father why he hadn't divorced her. He knew if he wasn't around us three kids were doomed. When my younger brother went to college my father finally sent her packing.

I always swore I would never marry a woman that was remotely like my mother and I didn't. My wife is the antithesis of dear mother and for the last two years of my mothers life I would have nothing to do with her.

Really well written with some good observations. I gave it a three simply because it was so damn depressing and true to life. Next time something with some fireworks?

Ugh! KMN!

An average story if based on content.

A 7 if compassion,insight, sensitivity and humanity is mixed in.

Well done, yet again.

Ruth couldn't really suffer until she got some real counselling. She should have gotten it and then spent the rest of her celibate life suffering and begging him to forgive her

Bleh. Not at all erotic.

A lot of truth in this.

Men want to fix problems. Some of us spend a lifetime trying to fix a relationship that can't be fixed. Because we can only control ourselves. It takes two. It can be really hard to accept that reality.

Wow. Original, compelling, and impactful. Well done.

Should've hung the Quack out to dry with the state licensing authority. Am guessing it might not take much publicity for other husbands she helped screw over to come forward and hopefully her license gets lifted.

I completely agree with xfac2021.

Ed

As regards therapy, multiple studies across decades have shown that any good listener, such as clergy, bartender, lifelong friend wise older folks, etc, though they are “untrained” will produce results easily equal or superior to a trained counselor. These studies are suppressed by those with vested interest of course, or just denigrated as unprofessional, but the truth is out there. Of course a very high percentage of counselors are female, which usually immediately places good ole hubby at a disadvantage.

Just_Words states:

“For what it's worth, there are both good and bad therapists out there. It is a profession that seems to attract both the best and the worst of the community. Obviously, this story involved one of the worst.”

Just_Words is, IMO, correct above, that there are both good and bad therapists out there. However this story did not involve any therapy at all. This story involved marriage counseling which has a totally different goal. Namely that of dealing with the success or failure of the marriage, and what ever changes can be made to bring about marital success if that is possible. Ms. Quack may be a therapist, at other times or not, but she was not one in this story. She was instead a very bad marriage counselor, as our MS correctly understood.

Actually, I think the story title should say “The Counselor.”

Having experienced both personal therapy and marriage counseling, I believe the distinction between therapy and counseling is important to understand in this crazy world. Especially considering that marriage counseling is often court ordered, while personal therapy is not. The two should not, in my view, be equated, as Just_Words has done above. That just promotes ignorance in an important area for those who have not experienced them.

Thanks for your excellent stories, Just_Words, and for sharing them with us!

Merlin

Nice but sad story, simple but very near to the truth.

A pretty good story.

It was good. But, the therapist needed burning.

This is somthing the MC tolerated for 20 years. Hard to understand.

Seems like MC kids were likely exposed to chaos similarly to their mother.

He and the children suffered because he did not detect her abnormal personality before they married and could not manage it after they married and had children.

Sad.

wonder what the odds are for children of broken, single parent households are for "old fashioned" successful marriages?

The bad therapist angle is a bit of a crutch but the writer pulled it off.

Drowning in overused tropes and tired clichés, is it over yet?

@ ImNotanAnon - Thanks for the helpful comments. I look forward to reading your first story some day if you ever take a chance and submit one. I'm sure you can teach us all how it's done.

Important lesson is not to Marry a women who come from broken family or with baggage. It's definitely will fuck up your future.

Once again a brilliant read from a brilliant author⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Depressing. Three stars.

JPB

Good and bad people in all professions. You wrote one about a good one and this one about a bad one. I'd have liked a bit more from the therapist myself. Her trying to defend her stance about wife not cheating etc. But its a pretty good story overall. BardnotBard

Ruth is a shrike. She is incapable of being happy without destroying or devouring things around her. Surprised they got this far. Why he took so long to get a PI is befuddling. If you think your wife is cheating and you are going to counseling for it, then you should have already hired the PI before. Thr very fact she kept doing it once a week through the 12 weeks of therapy shows how mentally broken she is. We don't know of the therapist was simply manipulated by Ruth's practiced deceit or was truly a man-hater that blamed the husband for everything. Wasn't clear. I am fine with no punishment for Bill beyond his divorce as he needed to support his ex. Too many LW stories have the aggrieved husband burn everyone so they are fired. If you know and like the wife that was herself cheated on, such financial revenge hurts her. Of course if you don't know them from Adam then it is easier to pull the "trigger". But getting your wife fired (not applicable here) just means more alimony in an extended marriage. Three years was a short duration here fir so many years married and her lack of a career. But hey it is fiction. 4 stars.

Good and well told story. Begs a question…Why stay with her?

Excellent.