Opinion: Patients seeking mental health treatment are not commodities

Summary: Imagine finding out your therapist has to pay $7,500 just to keep seeing you if they change jobs! A psychiatric nurse found a rule exactly like this in her job contract. When she asked about it, the clinic told her, "The practice owns the patients."

Many mental health clinics use these secret rules. They stop therapists from telling patients they are leaving, and they stop patients from following the therapist they trust. This is very dangerous because mental health care relies on feeling safe and secure over a long period of time. When a therapist suddenly disappears, it can cause real harm to the patient.

Right now, patients are being treated like items for sale instead of real people. The author believes clinics should be honest. They need to tell patients about these strict rules before therapy even begins. You are a human being, not company property.

For more details, see statnews at statnews.com/2026/04/27/mental-health-employment-contracts-proprietary-non-compete-non-solicitation/?utm_campaign=rss (opens in new tab)