This therapist is supposed to be giving tips — not asking for them.
An enraged man has taken to Reddit to reveal he fired his long-time shrink after she asked for a cash gratuity.
The anonymous man shared the story on the Subreddit thread “AITA : Am I The A–hole?” saying the female therapist only began asking for the extra money after finding out the male patient was thriving financially.
“My ex and I have a 12-year-old boy who’s going through some things,” the patient wrote. “We found a therapist and we’ve been seeing her for a couple of years. It hasn’t been life-changing for me in any way. In fact, it became more of a pointless chore like making your bed or folding your underwear.”
“A few weeks ago, I told our therapist that it’s bizarre to not have to worry about money for the first time in my life,” they continued. “I make good money and don’t have many bills. I’m saving like $1,000 a month.”
The patient subsequently stated that the therapist then began asking for a “copayment” following the therapy sessions.
“I don’t have a copayment because my insurance covers 100% of therapy sessions” the Reddit user wrote. “I explained that to her [the therapist]. She said that was true but maybe I could start paying like $20 cash because she’s not making a lot with what my insurance pays her. Like a tip.”
The patient said they were taken aback by the bold request and told the shrink that they would think about it.
But after researching whether therapists should be tipped for their services, the Redditor “found nothing,” insisting to their ex that they were going to fire the therapist after their trust was “forever broken.”
“She [the ex] told me not to throw away two years of work and I said this therapist tried taking advantage of me,” the user wrote.
The man subsequently contacted the therapist, telling her that he was no longer “in need of services.” However, the shrink accused the Redditor of misunderstanding “this whole tip thing.”
A number of Reddit users responded to the shrink saga, saying they also would have cut ties over the tip request.
“Wow, how unprofessional!” one user declared. “She should renegotiate with the insurance company [if she needs more money].”
However, a few users encouraged the disgruntled parent to at least find a new therapist — particularly given that his 12-year-old son was also taking part in the sessions.
“If your son was getting something out of therapy, or can, I would urge you to reach out to more therapists because there was a reason your son was going, and broken trust with one therapist doesn’t mean that you and your son are now healed,” one user wrote, in part.
According to Psychology Today, it is not customary to tip a therapist or psychologist for their services, despite the meager earnings insurance companies tend to dole out.