Another thought: Counselling, or other types of support for emotional/behavioural/psychological issues needn't be a last resort.
For some people it's time for themselves and possibly part of becoming a fully 'self-actualised', a well rounded, fully functioning human being.
It isn't necessarily about having a crisis that no one else can help with, nor about being unhappy. It might be about finding ways to deal with things differently and more effectively, say with parenting, employees, or within other relationships.
There is an argument that counselling may be a phenomenon of 'out-sourcing' roles that were traditionally fulfilled by family, or community and that is something I think is worthy of discussion.
A fair comment, Kalpataru, whether you've read the thread, or not.
Sometimes, therapy can also apply to certain genres of emotional, psychological, or behavioural support. An example of this might be Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a specific genre of counselling.
Thanks for your detailed and personal input, Lori.
Counselling is not necessarily 'medical'. The genres can range from the 'white coat' sort of models (a psychiatrist, doctor, or other medic using counselling skills, or a therapist who uses a more medical 'treatment' model) to 'talking', or other therapies which are modelled on 'person-centred', or 'client-centred' practises. The power balance between 'helper' and 'helpee' can vary a lot between genres, as I understand it.
I just thought it was interesting that you have a problem with your ex-wife having a source of blame for her difficulties and then you appear to blame a source for yours.
What evidence do you have that 'these professionals are few and far between'?
In the UK you can set yourself up as a counsellor with no experience, or qualifications.
It's advised that if you seek counselling you look for someone who is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. They might be student members who are training and associated with a company, or other practise; professionally qualified members, or professionally qualified and accredited.
If you're seeking private counselling it's recommended you seek someone who is accredited, or approaching accreditation with the BACP.
Having said that, accreditation, or a lack thereof, doesn't necessarily guarantee a good, or bad counsellor.
Also, it might not always be a case of 'good' or 'bad'. A person might try several counsellors, or therapists before coming across a genre, or person they click with.
I can't find the first example you gave. I'm having some internet connection problems, so having difficulty flicking through the pages.
I've made a dent in reading this citation and I'm wondering how this fits in with counselling, or therapy. Was Dr. Fisher in some way involved in counselling the deceased for her mental health issues? So far I've only gleaned that she was Head of Ethics for the MBA, an irony in itself by the sounds of it.
I still get the impresion your answers focus on the environment surrounding the therapy, rather than the therapy itself. I was just wondering why that is.
So, your objection is specifically about one genre, psychotherapy?
Where do you get your information from about these 'tons of women' who have been lead to believe that the root of their eating disorders are childhood abuses and that these ideas have been 'generated' in their heads? Why would they be there for good, if they're 'false memories'?
I've come across one similar(ish) situation that I don't know much about in any depth, so I'm digging out of curiosity.
That's interesting that you found the experiences surrounding the therapy negative. Was it like there was a stigma attached to it?
What about the therapy itself? Was there anything besides the benefit of learning vowel sounds, like was it good to be taken seriously, or listened to?
The three, or four different times - did you seek different genres, or was it the 'helper's' skill set and ability to build a relationship with you that was more important?
In your work setting, I notice you focus upon the relationship as well.
How did you build help build that relationship with your clients? What other skills did you use besides paraphrasing which you think helped?
How did you and your son find the experience of the speech therapy? Was it a positive, or negative experience? Did it provide just speech therapy, or did you find it useful in any other way? How did it make you feel to be using a therapy service?
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, Ben.
What made your experiences positive and negative? Was it just from within, your decision to accept you couldn't do it alone? Was it because it was your choice in later life? Was it something to do with the difference in the services that were provided between your first and later experiences?
How did you find using counselling skills in your work?
Did you study counselling skills before, or after using the services yourself? How did your knowledge impact upon being a service provider and/or a service user?
jac379 Forum Posts (12,293)
Counselling and Therapies.
Yeah, that's a huge ethical no-no that business about you attending her sessions. Very unethical practice.Did you ask for you ex-wife's permission to expose the personal details of her therapy on a public forum?
(It was your interpretation and your choice to take offence.)