SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

so, i'm not really sure where this belongs, but it does deal with the infidelity sort of, so i'm putting it here.

i found out today that my MC has breast cancer. wow. i am pretty shaken up about it. i feel so bad for her, and at the same time, i'm wondering what fwh and i are supposed to do now? she has an intern and has offered for us to continue with the intern with her supervision while she goes through surgery, recovery and and chemo, and all that stuff, but, it's an intern. i'm not real sure how i would feel about an intern being responsible for helping save my marriage. plus, the intern is young and pretty, and i know that shouldn't be a factor, but it sort of is, because of why we're in counseling to begin with. on the other hand, i'm sure it would be a good teaching experience for this girl, and getting the right perspective on recovering from infidelity could vastly improve the success rate of her future couples.

so, here's my dilemma...what would you do? would you try out the intern and see how that goes? find someone else?

Personally, I won't put my MC in the hands of an intern, especially with infidelity thrown in to boot regardless of her looks. I wouldn't want the outcome of my therapy to be something someone cuts their teeth on.

Ask her for another referral with a seasoned MC who is skilled in handling couples with infidelity issues.

AJ's MOM

My tendency is ^^^^, however I am a bit confused by what your MC means when she says that she'll "supervise" while the intern is there. Does she mean that she will be in the same room and speak up if she needs to? Or that she'll take a look afterwards to see what progress, if any, is made? That might impact my decision.

There are certain things that I'm willing to have interns use me as a guinea pig, like drawing blood and taking a medical history. But I'm really not willing to trust my marriage, especially if I have a WS that may be looking for squirm room, to an amature.

She would be reviewing progress after sessions. We have met the intern, and she's nice, but she's young, and a newlywed. Which is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, her optimism could be helpful. On the other hand, her naivete could be frustrating and seem dismissive. I think I will see if there are any other therapists in the office available. If not, maybe we'll at least keep seeing the intern until we find someone else.

She's a newlywed?

Ummm...again, no.

Youthful enthusiasm about just being married is on the direct opposite spectrum to a marriage dealing with infidelity.

Not. Even. Close.

Seriously. Do yourselves a favor and find a counselor skilled in dealing with betrayal.

IDK ... my first therapist was a trainee and spectacular-looking. It took us 15 minutes for me to lay out my problem and for her to decide she thought she could help, and I spent the rest of the first session figuring out if I could work with someone who looked like she did.

I decided I could, and she was excellent - I changed a whole lot while in her group. 10-15 years later, she was president of her national professional association.

So I'd meet with the intern to check her out - you could be very lucky. Among other things, you can shape her the way you want her to be.

Give her a session IMO. You won't know what she's all about and I don't think it's fair to judge on her newlywed basis or intern status. I would say one session to feel it out, and if it's not a fit you can feel good that you gave it a try?

I was a Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling intern in what seems like a previous life. Usually (and things may vary in different states) an intern that is working in the office of a private practitioner has already finished their Masters Degree, has had at least two years experience doing therapy, and is just finishing up the "supervised hours" needed to sit for the licensing exam. If you trust your MC and she believes the intern is able to take on your situation, I would trust the MC.

I would give it a try. You are judging her before you even know her. Every good counselor has to start somewhere. She may be the best counselor you ever have. She could also be the worse. This is true with every counselor you see.

I think we're going to at least do a couple sessions, get a feel for how things would go. And I think a lot of the decision would be based on how long mc would be out. Thanks for all the replies!

I agree with giving it a try. You already have a relationship with her supervisor so it is not like she is going to be flying solo and the person supervising is clueless about you. And if it is not progressing you can always change...