The main story, at this point, is individual therapy. The DSM IV-TR came out in 2000, and there was no doubt I met the criteria for for a slam-dunk diagnosis. On top of that, I had been sick at that point for 17 years
(the fancy clinical adjective: “entrenched”)
AND on top of THAT, my environment (a.k.a.: my marriage) was not supportive. Thus I automatically assumed that under her care it would only be a matter of time before she admitted me to the nearest treatment center for eating disorders: River Centre Clinic.
Now, allow me, if you would be so kind, to digress into a history lesson. For I think it’s possible that one day in the future, the factual origins of social media could blur into Myth and Legend.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, before Buzzfeed and Huffington Post, there were these things called newspapers. They were actually printed on real paper, and they were printed all over the globe and in every language, and (along with TV and radio) that is how we learned about the world around us. In general, we could reasonably trust most of what we read because they were only supposed to print stuff that they could prove was true. This concept was called: “Journalistic Integrity.” Anything else was just gossip. (And gossip used to be considered “wrong.”) Also, sources of information were allowed to protect their privacy, so they could remain reasonably safe from persecution. This concept was called “anonymity.” Back then, in the olden times of long ago, anonymous sources were often considered the opposite they are, today, and many looked upon them with admiration for their courage to find a way to expose truth.
Okay – you got all that? Because I’m going to discuss newspaper articles that are important to my story.
One day towards the end of 2003 an article came out in the city paper that I paid special attention to because it was about this “River Centre Clinic” place in which I’d already stockpiled some hope. (Our small town had it’s own newspaper but most of the people I knew got the city paper, too, because there was nothing in the other one.) (Hi – that was sarcasm – why would we buy blank paper?) (And we really got it for the coupons.) It got my undivided attention because I was not doing so great. (Big, huge, ginormous Understatement.) And a good eating disorders clinic would have been a very helpful thing.
It was an extra-trustworthy article because it was written by a Pulitzer Prize winning young man who married a local woman who just happened to be one of my friends:
https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2003/12/12/Trouble-revisits-local-psychologist-as-counselor-admits-affair-state-cites-ethics-breaches/stories/200312120022
So. Apparently. This “David Garner” person, who founded the clinic with his wife, liked having sex with his patients. And he treated anorexia. So that means he was drawn to women who had starved away their curves and periods and looked like children. So obviously there could have been a pedophilia theme running in there, as well. And he didn’t JUST abuse his power: when his victim lodged a formal complaint, he LIED about it. For a YEAR. Think about that for a moment: that made her look like a liar. So: not only was she sick, he made her sicker with his abuse, and THEN he slandered her CHARACTER for year (which allowed others to, as well.) I mean – HOW MUCH DAMAGE IS ONE PERSON ALLOWED TO INFLICT UPON ANOTHER PERSON?
Right away I had to wonder about the co-founder of this clinic, his wife, who was also a therapist. WHY would any therapist help supply this guy with fresh victims by setting up an eating disorder clinic with him?!? it’s not like he could hide from her the fact that The Country Of Canada suspended his license.
Wait. It gets better. Shortly after this he became an ex-pat of his homeland and crossed the border south to Michigan. At this point a SECOND Canadian victim came forward.
DUDE. This guys been doing this – and getting away with it – since FREAKING 1979, This is when him homeland stripped him of his license forever, and he moved even farther from Canada, and crossed another border, south, into Ohio, whose licensing board apparently thought that unlike every other repeat offender, this guy was done repeating. But this guy just couldn’t keep his pants zipped at work. He had an affair with an “assistant psychologist,” at the clinic, who was publicly willing to shoulder the blame.
An “assistant” would imply she was early in her career and thus probably young. One might wonder why the older, mentor-type figure would allow the younger person to compromise herself in this way. Unless they had no scruples whatsoever. I couldn’t help but think of how easily a younger woman could have been manipulated by an older man who (the article said) even helped her by a house.
What on earth was the atmosphere like at this clinic run by a husband and wife working together with his mistress? I wondered. Nope. I’m definitely not going there anytime soon. (Which wasn’t a problem with my therapist, who merely called me “the worried well” – but that’s for a different story.) As I continued to work in recovery, wondering if my therapist was right, I continued watching River Centre Clinic’s website, wondering if my therapist was wrong.
Why did I care? Why did I pay attention? Why did I spend brain cells on it?
Simple. It was the closest and only viable treatment facility and I needed full-time care. My therapist was a well-published eating disorders “expert” (quotes deliberate) so I was unable to consciously acknowledge that she was not helping my eating disorder. I literally starved the 24-48 period before most sessions, and on those occasions she rewarded me with compliments on my appearance.
… which is I N S A N E …
So somewhere deep in my fuzzy screwed up brain I knew I needed what this clinic offered but impossible if they cancelled out their help by doing more harm than good. So I watched their website: maybe one of the female staff members name would disappear from the site, indicating the “psychology assistant” went to work somewhere Maureen Garner (her boyfriend’s WIFE) did NOT work. Or maybe David Garner would get fired, or quit for the sake of his clinic. If I saw staff changes that indicated the Clinic was dealing with their drama in a healthy way, then maybe I could get the care I suspected I needed. And had possibly never stopped needing, since I left my hospital program so many years earlier.