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Counsellor boundaries

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Right so.. I see a counsellor and everything is cool with that, but yesterday I had a panic attack in the session and during it he said, 'look at me... i just want to see your eyes' and i thought ok fair enough, maybe there is some medical thing he is looking for or just wanted to see if i was crying... which i kinda was. But then he said give me your hand, and i thought it was a bit odd. Is this an ok thing to do or should i be concerned?

I said no to his request and he repeated no and then i continued to try to breathe. I'm not really into physical contact with anyone though to be honest. Everything seemed fine but i just want to check, like, what are the physical boundaries between counsellor/patient? Any info on this would be appreciated.

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes?no? hello? O.o
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Isnt there a calming technique that involves holding someones hands and getting them to focus on you and getting them to match your breathing pattern? Not 100% on that though.
    It doesnt sound particularly sinister tbh..
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi Nutter:wave:

    Sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious during your counselling sessions.

    There are many different techniques counsellers using during sessions if a person is distressed and this just may be one of them, however if you felt uncomfortable with this it may be worth just chatting to your counsellor and explaining that you are not at ease with physical contact in this setting.

    I hope this has helped.
    Keep posting and let us know how you get on.
    Take care
    B.:)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes, i would say that he was trying to help you focus on one thing, and human contact sometimes helps with the feeling of derealisation that comes with a panic attack, you could say he was trying to 'ground' you as it were.I would just explain in the next session that you are uncomfortable with the physical contact side, and if you can go through other techniques with him that may help, that'd be good thanks :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    cheers guys :)
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