The Young and the Restless’ Sharon May Just Be the Worst Therapist Ever — Wait, Hear Us Out…
She’s had her psychology degree for all of five minutes and is already breaking every rule in the book.
We feel for The Young and the Restless’ Sharon. Honest, we do. And were she a real-life friend of ours, we’d encourage her to take advantage of any outlet she could find to make her feel more in control during her frightening battle with breast cancer — any outlet, that is, except for taking on ex-husband Adam as a client.
Putting aside the toxicity of Sharon and Adam’s marriage and even the whole “Sorry-I-let-you-think-your-daughter-was-dead” thing, the former Newmans’ collaboration on his mental health is just… how to put this… a big no-no. Sharon’s a psychologist, not an M.D., it’s true, but the same rule that applies to doctors applies to counselors: They aren’t allowed to treat family members — and, divorced or not, that’s what Adam is to her. Impartiality goes out the window when a therapist is dealing with someone they know, much less love.
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On top of that, the patient himself waved a red flag when he insisted that Sharon was the only person in the world, never mind Genoa City, who could possibly help him. Someone in crisis who is dependent on their therapist when they’ve only dipped a toe, not a whole foot, into therapy has got to be a warning sign blinking in bright, bold neon, no? Surely, Sharon’s studies included a chapter on that sort of thing. Heck, several chapters. Whole classes?
And again, we feel for Sharon Case’s character. Deeply. But to take Adam’s life and mental state in her hands because she is in need of anchoring is not only irresponsible, it’s selfish. If she was thinking straight, she’d realize that he needs a far more experienced counselor — and one with whom he isn’t likely to have sex at the drop of a hat. (Too bad Tim Reid is dead.)
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What’s more, Sharon isn’t just gambling with Adam’s future by treating him, she’s also risking her own. As another round in her battle with breast cancer begins, she’s inviting into her life a world of stress. On one hand, she faces big-time disapproval of her decision from… well, pretty much everyone, save for Victor. In fact, Young & Restless spoilers for Friday, Oct. 2, promise yet another disagreement between her and beau Rey, who’s always smelled a rat when Adam has been around.
“I’ll just use this antiseptic to wipe away the painful memories.”
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
On the other hand, going with Adam to those dark places in his mind is going to be no walk in the park for Sharon. Shouldn’t she be saving what energy she has to deal with the impact that her cancer treatments will have on her? We want her to feel better, more in control, sure. But we would hate to see her stretch herself so thin that she endangers her well-being while she’s already locked in a life-or-death fight.
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We get that The Young and the Restless wants to position Sharon and Adam for another go-’round (for obvious reasons). We’d even buy the characters re-hooking up, as ill-advised as that may be, more easily than we would other twists of plot. (We’ll never stop scratching our heads over how quickly Kyle and Lola shrugged and walked away from their marriage.) But what we can’t get behind is Sharon’s determination to treat Adam herself. Even if she was as skilled a psychologist as Emily Peterson, her decision to make her ex a client makes her look like the worst therapist ever.
What do you think, Young & Restless fans? Couldn’t the show have achieved the same goal — putting Sharon and Adam back in one another’s orbit — by having them discuss the therapy that’s he’s undergoing with someone else? On your way to the comments section, why not stop off at the photo gallery below. It underscores why we feel so strongly about Sharon putting her own health first by pondering the affect her death would have on her nearest and dearest.
