Patients’ experiences of being “ghosted” by their psychotherapists.

Abstract

Psychotherapist ghosting is a type of inappropriate, therapist-initiated termination of treatment in which the therapist ceases communication with their patient without prior notice. A total of 77 patients (M age = 34) who reported being ghosted by their therapist completed a web-based therapist ghosting survey (TGS) that assessed their perceptions of multiple aspects of this event. Results indicated that these patients, on average, unsuccessfully attempted to contact their therapist four times following being ghosted but that the great majority never again communicated with this therapist; they attributed being ghosted to several possibilities, including their therapist's finding them too difficult, their therapist's own problems, and/or a major event in their therapist's personal life. They experienced shock, frustration, anxiety, resentment, and sadness as a result of this action, emotions that tended to dissipate over time. Given its emotional toll on patients and the ethical violation inherent in the act of ghosting, further research on the prevalence, consequences, and therapists' motives for this behavior seems imperative. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: What are clients' perceptions of the reasons for and consequences of their being "ghosted" by their therapist? Findings: Therapist ghosting is perceived by clients as distressing, shocking, hurtful, and unprofessional; many choose not to continue psychotherapy treatment following this experience. Meaning: Given the harmful consequences experienced by clients as a result of therapist ghosting, therapists need to be mindful of the ethical mandates regarding termination. Next Steps: Future investigation will focus on therapists' perspectives, motives, and other contributing factors, informing preventative (i.e., updated termination guidelines) measures.

Ethical considerations for complex termination.

“…Abandonment refers to situations in which a provider discontinues treatment of a client whom they know (or should know) needs ongoing services and does not provide necessary resources (e.g., referral) for the client to obtain them. Abandonment also can occur during ongoing psychotherapy if a provider does not meet a client’s needs by arranging for competent coverage of client emergencies between sessions or during a clinician’s absence (Barnett & Coffman, 2015), suddenly ends treatment without a termination phase, or ceases to communicate with their clients without advance notice (Farber et al, 2022). Although the term abandonment does not appear in the current Code, we agree with other scholars that abandonment is best conceptualized as mismanaged, or otherwise inappropriate, termination (Behnke, 2009; Younggren & Gottlieb, 2008).…”

The Translation and Preliminary Psychometric Validation of the Ghosting Questionnaire in Urdu

“…The perceived freedom of dating-at-a-distance has facilitated ghosting without guilt at the thought that a close person’s feelings have been hurt. The widespread use of mobile devices and social media has made “ghosting” the go-to method for ending a relationship without the discomfort of a face-to-face confrontation [ 16 ].…”

“…Recent research has revealed that individuals with “dark triad” traits, characterized by narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, are the most likely to avoid the awkward and emotionally draining conversations associated with ending a relationship [ 1 , 16 , 17 ]. These individuals have little empathy for the people they hurt; instead, they are driven by the need to avoid distress for themselves [ 3 ].…”

Ghosting: Abandonment in the Digital Era

“…The widespread use of social media and cell phones has made ghosting the path of least resistance [13], the motive being wanting to end a relationship without the discomfort of a face-to-face meeting [4]. The precursors are finding communications with the ghostee to be annoying, boring, overly intrusive, and time-consuming or to be obstacles to the formation of other preferred relationships [13]. A study conducted by Timmermans et al revealed three themes when reviewing ghostees' perspectives on reasons for being ghosted.…”

“…The act of ghosting often exposes hidden dimensions of personality and is, for that reason, of interest to mental health researchers and providers. This approach may become a fruitful area of inquiry in the course of a mental health assessment [12,13].…”