Unsafe space: How to suss out a toxic therapist

During the pandemic, Jaya, a 24-year-old documentary filmmaker, was matched with a life coach at an online mental-health fundraiser. What began as three free sessions turned into a year of weekly consultations. “I liked her at first, but then she began judging me for my life choices,” she recalls. When Jaya tried to talk about her weight gain, the coach would offer unsolicited advice on dieting and exercise. When one casual date turned out to be a bad move, the coach scolded Jaya over her lack of strong boundaries. “Maybe it was the generation gap. The coach was in her 40s; I was 19 at the time. But I know that a therapist isn’t supposed to inflict their opinions on their clients.”