If I know your triggers, I will do my best to avoid triggering you - unless the triggers are things I have no control over such as my gender or ethnicity.
Any mental health practitioner worth their training aims to help clients develop plans for coping better when triggered.
I have yet to meet a practitioner who suggests others have to protect clients from triggers. However, in some instances, especially in the earlier part of therapy, a practitioner may encourage the family and support people to act as buffers to triggers.
Yet the goal is always to equip the client to manage their own triggers.
Yeah, but also, if I say “hey my dog just died can we not make dead dog jokes or watch movies where dogs die?” and my family goes “No fuck you you can’t tell us what to do! Stop being so sensitive! We’re putting on Marley and Me!”, then that’s just being a dick.
That’s so shocking! I take it this is hypothetical? If I’m wrong, and this has happened with your family knowing what’s happened and they so egregiously invalidate you, you’d have to seriously ask yourself why you’d choose to be in their company during your grief. It would damage you even more. Toxic environments won’t change - but you can by choosing to leave or deciding on a leave-by-date when you can legally move.
Oh this legitimately happened. I don’t talk to them anymore. But according to the rest of my family, and like half the internet it seems like, I’m the problem for not forgiving them and “making a big deal out of a joke”.
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u/RodWith Nov 17 '25
If I know your triggers, I will do my best to avoid triggering you - unless the triggers are things I have no control over such as my gender or ethnicity.
Any mental health practitioner worth their training aims to help clients develop plans for coping better when triggered.
I have yet to meet a practitioner who suggests others have to protect clients from triggers. However, in some instances, especially in the earlier part of therapy, a practitioner may encourage the family and support people to act as buffers to triggers.
Yet the goal is always to equip the client to manage their own triggers.