“Turned My Wife Into A Crazy Person”: Therapy Ruins Couple’s Marriage As Man Files For Divorce

The goal of seeking therapy is to gain clarity through the guidance of a licensed professional. However, some people use it as a crutch to manage their lives, and it often leads to problematic situations. 

This married couple is an example of that, when the woman began seeing a therapist to help her cope with her problems at home, including dealing with her autistic son. She became overly reliant on the counseling she had been receiving to the point that she was weaponizing it against her husband.

The man grew fed up and filed for divorce, leaving the family with a newborn child in complete disarray.  

Some develop an unhealthy reliance on psychotherapy

Woman looking distressed during a therapy session with a male therapist in a cozy, brick-walled counseling office.

Image credits: DC_Studio (not the actual photo)

This was a problem with a couple when the woman began seeing a therapist and weaponized it against her husband

Text excerpt discussing a wife’s therapist and marital issues after maternity leave and concerns about their son’s milestones.

Text excerpt from a personal story about frustrations with a spouse during evaluations in an AITAH relationship context.

Parent struggles with wife’s anxiety and therapist influence after autism diagnosis, reflecting on wife-therapist relationship challenges.

Alt text: Excerpt describing emotional abuse and conflict shared by a husband dealing with his wife’s therapist issues and marriage.

Text excerpt describing family conflicts and tensions related to finances and physical incidents, relevant to AITAH for telling wife to marry therapist.

Text discussing a husband opposing another baby, mentioning financial stress and marital conflict about therapy and care.

Couple in a heated argument at home, woman distressed while man gestures expressing frustration in a tense relationship moment.

Image credits: sedrik2007 (not the actual photo)

It came to a point where the woman also abandoned her responsibilities to her older son

Man sharing a personal story about family struggles and wife’s behavior in a tense marriage and therapist situation.

Man expresses frustration with wife and therapist, discussing family dynamics and fairness toward their children.

Man confronts wife about neglect and tells her to marry her therapist, expressing he is done with the relationship.

Text discussing conflict about a wife’s therapist, highlighting issues in marriage and therapy relationships.

Man seeking advice from a lawyer about divorce after blaming wife’s therapist for ruining marriage and family life.

Image credits: AdDirect5164

Engaging in “therapy speak” can mask biases against a partner as objectivity

The author gave multiple examples of how his wife may have weaponized therapy in their marriage. She is one of the many people who have used “therapy speak” to vocalize what they think is happening around them. 

It’s why many have thrown around terms like “narcissist” or “gaslighting,” despite not knowing what these terms exactly mean. In the context of a relationship, clinical psychologist Dr. Catherine Aponte notes that couples may resort to it to disguise their biases against their partner as an objective observation. 

“Therapy speak is just the newest way to characterize rather than describe our partner’s actions,” she wrote, noting that it ultimately prevents an honest conversation that is important in relationships. 

Keynote speaker and clinical psychologist Dr. Perpetua Neo clarified that healthy therapy speak does exist. In her article for MindBodyGreen, she described it as a conversation that is “open to reflection, review, and education, and is thoughtfully used.” 

An example she gave was saying something like, “I have a suggestion, would you like me to say it?” instead of bombarding your partner with your ideas. 

On the other hand, Dr. Neo also gave an example of unhealthy therapy speak, such as being trigger-happy with branding someone as “toxic.” 

“While we should not have to ask someone to prove they’ve been hurt, we similarly should not rush to brand everything toxic,” Dr. Neo wrote. 

Upon recognizing that someone may be weaponizing therapy speak, Dr. Neo advises shutting the conversation down with a statement like, “This isn’t something I’d like to discuss with you.” 

However, the situation of the couple in the story appears to be beyond repair, especially since the woman seems to have abandoned her responsibilities as a mother to her older son. The man’s decision to file for a divorce may be reasonable, considering how his wife does not seem to think she has done anything wrong.

Couple having a tense conversation on a couch during a therapy session with a female therapist taking notes nearby.

Image credits: Antoni Shkraba Studio (not the actual photo)

The man provided more information, and many people in the comments sided with him

Reddit conversation about neglect, telling wife to marry her therapist, and emotional struggles in a family situation.

Conversation excerpt showing a Reddit discussion about a wife, therapist, and marriage issues with emotional tension.

Screenshot of an online discussion about documenting behavior and handling a difficult marriage situation with therapist involvement.

Reddit discussion on custody concerns and relationship issues involving wife and therapist in a family conflict scenario.

Reddit advice discussing being done in a marriage and involving wife’s therapist in conflict resolution.

Reddit discussion about struggle with wife and therapist in a post titled AITAH for telling wife to marry her therapist.

Comment discussing concerns about therapist behavior and advice on finding better therapy support in a troubled marriage situation.

Reddit user discussing therapist licensing and relationship issues in AITAH for telling wife to marry her therapist scene.

Reddit conversation about relationship struggles discussing feelings of pressure and regret related to having a second child.

Reddit discussion on family court and parenting challenges involving therapist and relationship conflicts.

Others had choice words for the wife, as some encouraged him to move forward with the divorce

Comment on a forum discussing a controversial relationship issue involving a wife marrying her therapist, highlighting emotional conflict.

Comment discussing telling wife to marry her therapist, expressing frustration and advice to get a divorce.

Comment discussing concerns about therapist quality and a troubled marriage in an AITAH for telling my wife to marry her therapist post.

Reddit comment discussing genetic autism testing in a conversation about relationship and therapy issues.

Comment highlighting concerns about a therapist's influence on a spouse and the impact on family and sanity.

Text comment discussing concerns about a wife's therapist and advice on therapist licensing and professional conduct.

Comment on a forum discussing issues with a wife’s therapist and relationship, related to AITAH for telling wife to marry her therapist.

Comment discussing a wife needing a new therapist and the possibility of mistreated PPA affecting her behavior.

Comment suggesting attending a session with wife and her therapist to gain clarity and verify statements in therapy.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing issues with a therapist and suggesting divorce as the only option.

Comment advising to document proof for divorce and custodial custody due to neglect in an AITAH therapist marriage discussion.

Comment discussing the emotional reaction of a parent of an autistic child about risks and understanding in a family situation.

Comment on a family therapy dispute discussing wife, therapist, and custody related to AITAH for telling wife to marry her therapist.

Comment on a forum post discussing a person telling their wife to marry her therapist, expressing readiness to move forward with divorce.

Reddit comment discussing challenges with autistic children and advice on therapist concerns in AITAH relationship conflict.

Screenshot of a user comment discussing meeting with wife and therapist in AITAH for telling wife to marry therapist topic.

Comment warning about a possibly harmful therapist in a relationship, related to therapy and marriage issues.

Comment on a forum discussing relationship issues about telling wife to marry her therapist because the husband is done.

Comment discussing concerns about a wife, her therapist, and issues with their autistic son in a family conflict.

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