TikTok Therapist Complains About ‘Trauma Dumping,’ Sparking Fierce Backlash

@diligenda/Twitter

October 20, 2021, 6:39 am

The whole point of getting a therapist is to have someone listen to you talk about things that might not be easy to discuss with those close to you, to get an outside perspective and to do so without facing judgment. 

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But as TikTok has become so popular, so has talking about your work. And one therapist’s decision to complain about her clients on the platform — even broadly — has people admitting that this is exactly why they’re hesitant to go to therapy.

TikTok user @sidequesttherapy posted a video saying that she plans to set boundaries to prevent her clients from “trauma dumping” in their first session. “Not happening on my watch ever again,” she wrote on the video, which was also tagged #TeenTherapist.

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The actual video has since been deleted, and her entire TikTok and Twitter accounts have been taken offline following the backlash — and it was harsh.

Many people were quick to point out that listening to people’s problems and trauma is literally a therapist’s job. 

“Your first session doesn’t have to be sharing all your trauma especially if your therapist has a different method,” wrote @diligenda. “But to call it ‘trauma dumping’ is sinister and has entirely different implications than protecting the client.”

Trauma dumping is a term that’s generally used in a negative context, often prompting the suggestion that the person doing it go talk to a therapist. So to have a therapist turn around and use it against her clients is leaving people reeling.

especially as a teenager omg there would be no chance of me coming back from that

— aisha (@diligenda) October 19, 2021

plsssss this is literally exactly what she’s saying

— aisha (@diligenda) October 19, 2021

Omg intake session are the worst!! Lemme tell this person I don’t know or trust all my issues while they write it down. Then next time I’ll see if they know what they’re doing

— You can’t kill me I’m a bad bitch (@Yungtaepuna) October 20, 2021

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I didn’t come here to talk about the weather, Sherry. I came here to unpack and assess my baggage.

— (@kimpossibil_ity) October 19, 2021

Esp. when so many of us seeking therapy are keeping it bottled up from everyone else in our lives so as not to “burden” them and we go through the process of finding a therapist who is a trained person who we are literally paying to be the one person we *can* share trauma with

— A (@aqueenofswords_) October 19, 2021

right??? or if it’s getting too much just take a damn vacation. they have the money for time off and self care

— cass (@m0thwoman) October 19, 2021

And the idea of a professional speaking negatively of their clients online isn’t sitting well with many people either.

She works with teenagers! I hope their parents/caregivers see it.

— J isn’t going away (@paraempathetic) October 20, 2021

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Some corners of social media may be helping to normalize therapy and prioritizing mental health, but when the same platforms give rise to people like this who make it even harder for folks to trust therapists…well, it feels like another two steps back.

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*First Published: October 20, 2021, 6:39 am