![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pinkeye on July 3, 2005, at 0:50:32
So, supposing I want to really help people with mental health issues, and I think I might be able to give some decent advice - not extensively, but atleast to a good extent. (other than babble).
How does one go about doing it?? Will people listen if you say things if you are not qualified?
When I go back to India, one thing I want to do is conduct these kind of public sessions - where I can tell (atleast lesser informed people) just basics of life whatver I know.. But I don't really have any formal education..
What to do?
Posted by crazyteresa on July 3, 2005, at 1:41:23
In reply to How does one help people if we are not therapists?, posted by pinkeye on July 3, 2005, at 0:50:32
You could give talks at churches or other public organizations who were interested in inviting guest speakers. Sometimes people feel better just knowing there is someone out there with the same kinds of issues.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 3, 2005, at 16:48:38
In reply to How does one help people if we are not therapists?, posted by pinkeye on July 3, 2005, at 0:50:32
Don't underestimate Babble.
Really.
I used to think quite a bit about trying to get into the clinical program to train as a clinical psychologist. Going back to undergrad level to study to be a psychiatrist, even! But... My mood goes up and down a fair bit. When I am in a good place I like to think I can help other people especially when they are going through issues similar to ones I have struggled with. When I am having a hard time of it I usually find that those same people have something helpful to say to me.I think that what makes it hard is that there are a lot of unqualified charlitans out there. Especially in the psychology / self help field. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people without formal training have a lot of helpful things to say. But the danger can be in the serious errors or omissions.
It is arguable how much personal experience works to your advantage with respect to helping others. In drug and alchohol services they tend to put high value in the therapist having 'been there'. But I have seen that work to the detriment of the theraputic relationship when one therapist used to assume she knew how I was feeling and she knew what was going on for me because she had been there so my experience should be the same as hers.
Because it is such a popular field there tend to be little islands or clicks of professionals who try and dissociate themselves from the general helpers. I think thats why psychologists are so anal about APA formatting... Because it shows that one has been trained as an 'insider'. And they get too many papers to want to spend time on everything.
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on July 3, 2005, at 23:41:55
In reply to Re: How does one help people if we are not therapists?, posted by alexandra_k on July 3, 2005, at 16:48:38
I don't have a sense of how this varies country to country, but some thoughts from my corner of the world (USA)...
It seems to me that there is a huge need for mental health advocacy on a number of different levels. At the governmental level, we need people who can make themselves heard so that mental health needs can be given the respect that they deserve. MH probs are medical illnesses, not character flaws. People with MH deserve quality treatment and certainly that doesn't happen for far too many people.
There is also a need for advocacy at the individual patient level. People need help on how to talk to their docs about what they do and don't want/need. People need help addressing stigma in their own families. People need help standing up for themselves when they are being discriminated against b/c of their MH probs. People need help locating resources in their communities. I think figuring out how to do the stuff in this paragraph takes some creativity (and some knowledge of your own community). I'm sure that there is a way to use your own talents to help others.
This is a great idea for a thread. I'm interested in what ideas folks have...
Best,
EE
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Psychology | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.