Neighbours listened to my therapy session

[noseyneighbours]

I had a therapy session today and my neighbour and his girlfriend not only listened to it but discussed it afterwards. I'm fucking mortified. It was very personal stuff about my background and relationships and other therapy sessions.

An update on this saga. I had my session again yesterday and they were there again! I checked the outside before I started, closed all the doors and windows and spoke very quietly through a headset. When I finished, I opened the windows and heard one of the neighbours say: Do you think she knows we're here?

So they had obviously decided to come for part two. They really are disgusting human beings. Imagine getting your kicks from listening to someone else's therapy. Makes me wonder how long they've been doing it.

From what they said last time, wondering whether it was therapy I’d wager last time was the first and only time. They’re reprehensible and don’t deserve your headspace.

You should have shouted out ‘yes I do!’
This is my fear when the home treatment team come to my home. I check all the windows and make sure no one is in their gardens before talking (and have to convince them I’m not paranoid!).
Well done on the therapy though! Don’t let it put you off.

That is unbelievable, how awful of them. Based on the second instance I'd be tempted to confront them or send them a note, then they can be mortified and self reflect on their own behaviour.

I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better about it OP. For what it’s worth I really think they should have moved when they could hear you. After one or two minutes they should have guessed it was personal. Worst case they could have knocked on your door and said they could hear you but they wished to sit outside and enjoy the sun, which would have given you the option of rescheduling or moving or whatever. To sit there and listen was scummy.

Having said that, it sounds like the female was sensitive to your situation so I’m sure they will just move on from it, so you can too.

@PinkPetalsPale

If they ever mention anything to you, say you were reading for an audition for a radio drama on radio four, and it’s all still under wraps as they haven’t got the contract yet. Then walk away with your head held high. Don’t they know you’re an actor?

Oh this is a good one. My DD is a voice actor and if our neighbours have heard some of the adverts, tutorials and animation voices she has been recording in her room home studio then they would think some truly strange things happen in our house.

Use earphones and position yourself next to the router, away from a window

Is there anything you can do to stop them sitting outside? Could you put a camera up?

Can you sit in a different room that faces in another direction?

@HollowTalk

Is there anything you can do to stop them sitting outside? Could you put a camera up?

Can you sit in a different room that faces in another direction?

In their own garden you can't film them. You need a licence from the ico to film using cctv outside of your property.

I'd be so tempted to tip a glass of water out of the window on to them. Dickheads.

They're not in their garden they are sitting outside on the street, OP said so.

Sounds like you need to talk to them about this.

I would be so tempted to reschedule your therapy and then when your usual therapy session would start I would pretend I was doing the therapy session and start talking about the weirdness of the next door man, that he is creepy and his girlfriend is just as strange. Add anything you feel to that.

I would definitely find a different place in your house to talk to your therapist.

And if I were overhearing something like that I would move away because I would hate it if it happened to me.

Can you use another room instead and just blare music out of that window next time. So sorry OP.

How did they know when to come back and sit there for another session?

@NBFJ364N

How did they know when to come back and sit there for another session?

Take a guess. It's not difficult to arrive at the right answer.

They just sat outside at the same time the next Tuesday. There is no way they heard me this time. They obviously couldn't hear which is why they asked if I knew, as I was so quiet. I also bought a new laptop with better sound quality but it's actually my new broadband which is awful.

Hopefully they won't be there again but I am really pissed off with them and having a think about what to do as the man who lives there keeps looking up through my windows. He stands outside my property in his garden or outside in the street, staring up through my windows. I could him a couple of times just staring through my bedroom window when I was lying on my bed with the window open (it's downstairs).

I had to warn him to keep away from me as he kept coming over, two or three times a week and I warned him that I would do him for harassment. He seems fixated but he's sitting out there with his girlfriend.

There is nowhere else in the house with better privacy than where I am, so I'll just continue doing what I'm doing and speaking very quietly.

You could put window film up for extra privacy against the gawping man, it’s very effective.
As for the eavesdropping arses.....well, I would be so tempted to sling a bucket of water out the window!
Could you drive somewhere and do the counselling session on your phone, minus Zoom if necessary? That’s how I do mine at the moment.

Something like this?
www.amazon.co.uk/Privacy-Film-Glass-Windows/s?k=Privacy+Film+for+Glass+Windows&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

That’s really bad. What was his response to the harassment comment?

Can I make a suggestion- reschedule your next app to a diff day or time

Now at the original date and time when your nosy neighbours are there waiting to hear your session, give them a show to listen to.... pretend to tell your therapist how you are concerned about something that will piss them off, how u don't know what to do about learning something about your neighbours

Possibilities are endless.....

I’m not sure your therapist should be offering you online therapy if your confidentiality is being compromised. This feels unsafe, and if I was the therapist here I’d be exploring alternatives (phone, F2F, alternative locations)/ways to deal with the situation before we went any further. I don’t know if it’s private therapy or NHS, vol sector etc, but the guidelines I work to suggest that we should not offer online therapy if the client’s setup is not safe and confidential.