Family therapist fires dad and his 2nd wife for treating his 16-year-old son so poorly, teen tells entire family about the firing: '[My dad] told me I'm trying to humiliate them' '

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
May 13, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

It is pretty embarrassing to get fired for being a customer. It means the person providing you a service would rather not get paid if they don't have to deal with you anymore. It would make me think if my personal trainer, cleaning lady, or piano teacher fired me. It's not like the people working those jobs are getting paid a salary. They are getting paid hourly, maximizing their income by meticulously calculating how many customers will pay them the most. If they're good at their jobs, they don't want to waste their time with horrible clients when they've got a list of potentially great clients knocking down their doors for their services. Some work-for-hire professionals can't afford to turn down a client or fire one. Once they get enough experience and income to do so, they probably have a couple of names at the top of their list they'd love to nix. 

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  • 01

    AITA for telling others about the family therapist firing my dad and his wife?

    My mom did when I (16) was 11. My dad remarried last year. I didn't like it and I acted up. I still don't like it, full disclosure. But I was a terror and made life harder for them. I felt like dad betrayed me and my mom by marrying again and so fast too but my biggest thing was they expected her to slot right in like she was suddenly my parent too and someone who got to make decisions for me. It was things
    via u/Slamberone

  • The therapist in this story did all that she could to help this family. She tried to help the 16-year-old son who was feeling hurt and taken advantage of by his dad and his new partner, but the adults in the family were wholly unwilling to make any real changes.

  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10505275648
    via Kateryna Hliznitsova (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 03
    like giving me new chores, telling me how to dress and what I should eat, where I should and shouldn't go, trying to make me explain my homework to her and expecting to let her review it. Sh like that I hated and I would get so mad that I'd scream at her. And at dad when he backed her up. So I'd sneak out, I was ride to them, I wouldn't listen to her and other stuff like that.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 04
    My dad tried talking to me. But he talked to me before he met her too. He made promises about how it would be just us until I was ready to move out. He promised me he needed a lot of time before he could think about dating again because he loved my mom so much. Then he's
    via u/Slamberone
  • 05
    already dating someone and they're getting married and I was still 15 and couldn't just leave. And not only that but he was acting like she was now my parent too? I felt like that wasn't fair. H | date and keep her from moving in but they had clearly talked about how she'd be a parent once she moved in because they were on the same page with that stuff.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 06
    When things were getting so bad that dad was worried I'd run away, and I considered it, and I stayed out all night sometimes, he told us we needed family therapy.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 07
    Strike one in family therapy was my dad and his wife refused the therapists suggestion of each of us getting solo sessions too. They just wanted the group sessions.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 08
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    via Curated Lifestyle (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    Strike two was the way they would talk over me when I was asked what I would be okay with or would like to see. The therapist said if me, the teen, could listen then so could they.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 10
    Strike three was dad arguing back against the therapist and his wife calling her useless. Dad said she was not giving good advice and that he didn't need to consult me on who could and couldn't come into our home or help him parent me. He said he didn't care if he sounded like an a to me but he had decided his wife was deserving of equal respect and authority.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 11
    Strike four which was the final strike was they refused to compromise. I already had. I stopped being so disrespectful and getting into so much trouble. I did ignore my dad's wife a lot because I couldn't handle talking to her with how she talked to me, but I wouldn't go anywhere without asking or stay out all night and I didn't call her and I stopped calling her names. But
    via u/Slamberone
  • 12
    they refused to discuss her not being my parent. The therapist even told me if she got them to agree it would be re-evaluated and discussed more over time. That she might end up with some parental-like authority eventually. But they said she was staying my parent and they weren't willing to discuss it. They told the therapist she was meant to make me get on board with that.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 13
    So the therapist told them they were wasting her time and she wouldn't see us all anymore. She did say she'd continue to see me since I worked with her but my dad said no way and so none of us are going back. They're ped that she fired them. I found it hilarious.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 14
    I told my friends, I told different family members, I told the neighbor who dad would tell all our sh to before. And my dad hates it. He told me I'm trying to humiliate them and it's personal business not public. I told him if he could tell people our business then so could I. He told me I was enjoying it too much. Then we got into another fight. But hey, I just went into my room instead of sneaking out.
    via u/Slamberone
  • 15
    Cheezburger Image 10505287168
    via Ben Collins

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 16
    Dad and his wife are blaming me because dad's side of the family are giving them sh for getting fired from therapy. AITA?
    via u/Slamberone
  • 17
    writing_mm_romance Sounds like your dad is willing to throw away a future with you for this woman. I'd tell that's exactly what he's doing, and when I turned 18, I'd be gone from his life and let him end up sad miserable and alone.
    via u/writing_mm_romance
  • 18
    Frequent Couple5498 OP's dad married a woman who sounds controlling. You can't come into a teenager's life and think you are going to have control and authority over them just like that. H I, even a biological parent who has been absent and suddenly appears in their teenage years could do that. Teenagers are almost adults. Authority to them comes with years of respect and familiarity.
    via u/Frequent_Couple5498
  • 19
    Dad is stupid, he is going to lose his daughter over this woman's control f h. Tell her to have her own kids if she wants to boss someone around so badly. When OP moves out that bossy energy will need a new target and Dad will be the only one around. Lets see how he likes being told what to do.
    via u/Frequent_Couple5498
  • 20
    NTA it is a funny story to tell everyone. They were fired because the therapist didn't do what they wanted her to do. They were fired because the therapist agreed with OP and not them.
    via u/Frequent_Couple5498
  • 21
    MommersHeart Imagine being such a mess, your therapist discovers the teenager is the only adult. They were correct to quit. NTA.
    via u/MommersHeart
  • 22
    XxLuminairexX Yeah, unfortunately some people think therapy is a tool to coerce the opposite party into adhering to them, rather than letting the therapist assess and determine what is the healthiest course of action for both parties together.
    via u/XxLuminairexX
  • 23
    JamieJamis NTA!! Lots of disrespect, miscommunication, manipulation, and abe of parental power. It's very showing of your character that, although you'd been acting out, within a year you settled and tried to compromise in a respectful, adult way like they should have. yes, you did lash out, but it doesn't seem like you really did wrong. sneaking out and calling names, sure, but that is MILD compared to what some kids have and will do.
    via u/JamieJamis
  • 24
    Stay strong and safe! and always, always remember that respect goes two ways, if it's not reciprocated, there's no need to show respect. dignity, pride, and confidence, grey rock them, that's the right way to go here!!
    via u/JamieJamis
  • 25
    kissngme respect goes both ways, and OP made genuine progress while the adults refused to budge or listen. Therapy isn't about forcing one person to conform it's about everyone doing the work
    via u/kissngme

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therapist teens family drama therapy teenagers wife bad parenting bad parents parenting widower husband raising teens dad mental health family son
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