Surviving An Abusive Therapist

Writing and Resources
re Therapy Abuse and Exploitation

​by Bernadine Fox



​Essays

(FREE to download)
Boundary Violations in Therapeutic Relationship: what clients need to know produced by Bernadine Fox (pamphlet to reproduce & distribute)
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What is Therapy Abuse and Exploitation? by Bernadine Fox published on TELL and FACTBC (essay)

Surviving Therapy Abuse by Bernadine Fox chapter in ebook published on TELL (chapter)

Breaking Away by Bernadine Fox published on TELL (essay)


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Available Books by Bernadine Fox

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EXAMINING ETHICAL BOUNDARIES IN THERAPY: Checklist

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FREE
​(updated)
Wondering if your therapy has been impacted by unethical or unhealthy boundary transgressions?

Download a FREE copy of this checklist "Examining Ethical Boundaries in Therapy" complied by Bernadine.​ 

COMING TO VOICE: Surviving An Abusive Therapist 

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Front cover
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Back cover
Coming to Voice: Surviving an Abusive TherapistBy Bernadine Fox
When care becomes coercion, silence becomes survival.
Coming to Voice is a gripping, unflinching memoir based on the true story of “Emma”—a survivor of profound childhood trauma whose life was saved, and then nearly destroyed, by the same person: her therapist. Praised publicly as a feminist icon and expert in child sexual abuse, this therapist would become Emma’s abuser—weaponizing trust, trauma, and the therapeutic relationship itself.
Told in raw and haunting third-person prose, Coming to Voice traces Emma’s journey from reverent silence to empowered truth-telling. After years of internal conflict, and one year after her therapist’s death, Emma is confronted with the ultimate betrayal: a prominent sexual assault centre announces a public tribute to honour the woman who abused her. It becomes impossible to stay quiet.
In a world reckoning with #MeToo and institutional betrayal, Coming to Voice breaks new ground. It explores the hidden epidemic of therapy abuse, where power is masked as healing and professional titles shield predators from accountability. This book names what others have left unnamed—and offers a lifeline to survivors who’ve been gaslit, disbelieved, or left alone in the aftermath.

Why read Coming to Voice?
  • For survivors: You’ll see yourself in this story—and know you’re not alone.
  • For clinicians and students: Gain a sobering understanding of what ethical transgressions look like from the inside.
  • For allies, advocates, and the curious: This is not just a story of abuse—it’s a story of reclaiming power, voice, and dignity against overwhelming odds.

This book is for anyone ready to confront hard truths—and to listen differently.

Coming to Voice doesn’t just tell a story. It calls for a reckoning.
BIO
Bernadine Fox is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, mental health advocate, and disability justice activist based in Vancouver, BC. A graduate of Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, her work—both creative and advocacy-driven—focuses on giving voice to silenced experiences and challenging systems that perpetuate harm. Through painting, memoir, public speaking, peer support, and survivor-led organizing, she addresses themes of trauma, therapy abuse, power, and recovery.
Bernadine also hosts ReThreading Madness, a globally syndicated radio show and podcast that explores mental health, disability, trauma, and healing from a justice-based lens.
She lives on a forested mountain in BC with her grandson, three cats, three rats, and a few persistent ghosts.
🔗 linktr.ee/BernadineFox
Available on Amazon

CIRCLES




​Circles
(a chapbook)
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FREE

The story a woman who has survived being battered by her ex-husband only to face it one last time.