Why can’t psychologists treat loved ones?
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A psychologist is meant to take as objective a role as possible – they’re not involved in the client’s life, so they’re listening to issues with a neutral ear and offering the help that’s needed to meet their client’s goals.
If you’re close to someone, it’s really hard, maybe impossible, to be objective like that, because you have your own experiences in that person’s problems. Imagine, for example, that a client is having issues with their spouse. A counselor who doesn’t know anyone involved can listen to the problems neutrally and dispense their thoughts, advice, etc. as needed. A counselor who knows the couple will have their own opinions – maybe they side with the client, maybe they side with the spouse – and that’s going to color any advice they could give one way or another. It creates problems; far better to avoid that sort of conflict of interest.
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