Kendra Psychiatrist: all parties were in the wrong

I’ve been hearing about Tiktoker Kendra and her psychiatrist for over a week and finally got around to listening to all the parts. I also read many comments, listened to other creators takes, and finished 2 podcasts that covered it. I apologize for being late to the game and if this was already discussed on this sub but I’ve discussed this with friends and family ad nauseam so it’s time to take it to Reddit 😂

Anyways, so after doing a deep dive, I think everyone (Kendra, psychiatrist, and therapist) were wrong in some way here’s why:

1. Kendra: that goes without saying and there is not much I could add other then what’s already been said. She was pushing boundaries from the start, and these are boundaries that are well known by most clients, especially considering she mentioned in part 1 that she’s been on the couch for years. Most everything she said that she read as “a sign” seemed to be more of her interpretation. As both someone in the field and someone who has been a client, I would have taken many of those “signs” differently and certainly not as flirting. It is concerning how little accountability she took when she clearly made her psychiatrist so uncomfortable.

2. The Psychiatrist: if what Kendra said has any truth to it, then he did not do the best job at exploring her feelings with her and setting boundaries. I understand where he may have been coming from, as there is a chance that his reason for not being more assertive was that he was bewildered and experiencing a freeze/fawn response. Even if that is so, he should have addressed in the next session after saying something like “I apologize I did not say anything last session, to be honest, I was taken aback and needed time to process and I did not handle what you said in the best way I could have ” and then gone on to process her feeling, set boundaries, as well as letting her know their doctor/patient relationship will be terminated if 1. She cannot agree to boundaries and 2. If she finds her feelings for him to be too distracting to benefit from treatment. I’m probably not articulating that well but hopefully that makes sense!

3. The therapist: once again, if what Kendra said has any validity, this therapist is so unprofessional and I feel like it’s being glossed over and overshadowed by people’s takes on Kendra. Texting clients to get advice about other clients and adding clients on Facebook are both textbook unethical. However, I did mot see any issue with her email requesting one more session!

Thanks for letting me rant, would love to know your thoughts!!