I understand you're a social psychologist, but your article is riddled with your own bias. Yes, you had two bad experiences with two separate therapists. You later go on to point out that the field has had many social issues over the years.

Here's the thing: It can take a lot of tries to find that "golden" therapist. Some of us get lucky and it's the first therapist we see. For others, it can often take 5+ different therapists to see.

It's okay if you had a bad experience with them. However, don't use that excuse to tell others "Don't get therapy" or "Therapy just won't work for everyone".

There's thousands of therapists out there. Yes, state-sponsored ones are often lower in quality, from what I've personally witnessed. Sometimes it takes trial and error to find your "golden fit" therapist. Once you find that good one, it can be lifechanging.

A therapist is meant to gently challenge your sense of self to help you work through (in a healthy way) what going's on in your life and your head. For myself, I saw a therapist to help deal with anxiety and PTSD from a former abusive partner. My therapist helped me talk through what was going on in my head. She helped me redirect my thoughts and basically helped re-train my own brain to find new patterns and get myself out of the negative feedback loop I had put myself in.

Are there bad therapists out there? Absolutely. So many people who shouldn't get into the profession are there and actively causing harm to their clients (whether they realize it or not).