MovieChat Forums > In Treatment (2008) Discussion > It was SOOO unprofessional of Adele...

It was SOOO unprofessional of Adele...

posted 14 years ago by dogluver1970
9 replies | jump to latest

to "inject" her pregnancy into the conversation, remember? SHE brought it up, not he. She said that she noticed that 'he noticed it' but whether he did or didn't isn't the issue. A therapist is ALWAYS supposed to be on the patient's agenda and not insert his/hers into the discussion. It was like she was toying with his emotions, making him wonder further about her love life, etc. At first, she established good boundaries; however, she couldn't maintain it for more than a few sessions!!! In some ways, she was worse than Paul has been with his patients, in terms of boundary crossing.

"Giving $$ and power to gov't is like giving booze & car keys to teenage boys." PJ O'Rourke

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] blueblazes 14 years ago

No. I disagree. Adele stated the obvious. Paul was going on and on about the idea of them as couple. Adele wasn't confused about this. When she stood up, and inadvertently revealed her condition, Paul was visibly shaken.
He was humiliated and mortified. To not recognize this would be absurd. She new he was infatuated with her. When the session took a dramatic turn. She had to bring it up. He was viscerally angry at her. (It matters not how she feels about him.) A good therapist who is trying to keep the boundaries in a situation where a patient is attracted to their therapist would do exactly what Adele did. She has been a total professional.

[–] dogluver1970 14 years ago

It's all about the patient in that room, like you said, blueblazes. So if HE brought up the pregnancy, fine. But he didn't - it was her feelings of countertransference (her "real" feelings towards him) that interfered with her professionalism.

I'm a psychotherapist, BTW. If I became overwhelmed with attraction to one of my patients, I'd refer him to someone else. I'm human, though, so obviously I have fleeting feelings towards others at times that aren't professional, and not always romantic; eg, thinking of a teenager as my child instead of my patient. But as long as I recognize it and don't act on it with my words/actions (because it's not about ME in that room), I can keep seeing the patient.

"Giving $$ and power to gov't is like giving booze & car keys to teenage boys." PJ O'Rourke

[–] fidelio1980 14 years ago

Yes, she brought up the pregnancy, before he actually mentioned it.

But so what? He had already clearly reacted to the pregnancy. He knew she was pregnant, and she knew that he knew. And it was clearly affecting his behavior. Her job, as a therapist, is to probe why it was affecting him so much. Surely she wasn't supposed to pretend that his anger was about something else?

If there was any indication that she just brought up her pregnancy because she wanted him to know about it, then that would have been unprofessional. But there was no indication of that. And it's very debatable whether she ever had romantic or sexual feelings for Paul at all.

[–] ChaCha44 14 years ago

This is why I love this show. Both patiens and therapists are flawed. We don't really know anything about Adele yet though we can surmise that she is having this baby as a single mom. She might not even be aware that she might be attraced to Paul.

[–] mph1-3 14 years ago

I agree with you, blueblazes. Of course she had to bring it up! Was she supposed to just let his obvious discomfort escalate till the end of the session??

[–] nodilettante 14 years ago

Totally right-on, dogluver.

People who are arguing with your statement:

"A therapist is ALWAYS supposed to be on the patient's agenda and not insert his/hers into the discussion"
are just improvising. They have no real knowledge of what is involved in the theraputic relationship.

" I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert."

[–] dogluver1970 14 years ago

Thanks for the compliment, nodilettante :) But at least most people on this board are respectful, when they disagree with you, unlike on other boards.

"Giving $$ and power to gov't is like giving booze & car keys to teenage boys." PJ O'Rourke

[–] LinnenLove87 14 years ago

Well, Paul was suddenly acting like an angry child, rallying against her. So, in that respect, I thought it made sense she tried to get him to admit to the reason behind it. But later on it occured to me that she didn't want him to give her up, or at least the affection he felt for her. (and I have to admit, I kind of wanted them to get together.. especially when they were holding hands.. such a touching moment!)

Anyway, curious to see how this relationship progresses. If it does in the new season. Would be interesting to see them as a couple, I think. Lots of options.

I carry your heart; I carry it in my heart.