Connecting with you in our modern world…

I’ve been observing a variety of different behaviours, like; counsellors and coaches blogging for no good reason – about their interests, or relationship psychologists strutting their wares on television shows like the Seven Year Itch or Married at First Sight, or coaches making dramatic claims of how they can ‘solve all of your problems’ in their social media ads and campaigns.

We need to be here for you, the client. After all, you are coming to seek help.

One thing an ethical practitioner will not do is ‘prove’ that something works, because nothing – not one, single thing – is 100% guaranteed. Ever.

We are obviously at a crisis among all health, allied health and wellness professions.

Hold your horses, my prediction is…. we’re in for a bumpy ride over the next 10 years across the mental health landscape in Australia.

If the Medicare-funded psychology services worked, we would have less mental illness in the community, and even less suicidal people in the community.

We currently have the same number of people in the community, if not slightly more, who have committed suicide, attempted suicide, or have suicidal thoughts. See the following for more: http://www.mindframe-media.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/13124/ABS-2016-Suicide-figures-2015_Final.pdf

We really need to figure this one out – so that all of our money – that the government spends – can be well spent and that more lives can be saved through proper, appropriate support for those who are suicidal, depressed, or in real crisis.

Juxtaposed to the work of real therapists – Facebook, Instagram and Youtube in particular, have changed society and the market for counselling, psychology and psychotherapy.

It can either be a race to the top, or a race to the bottom.

Clients can access online services and face-to-face services at the click of a few buttons.

This is a challenge to all practitioners – what if these are not appropriately servicing our clients?

What if these services aren’t right for you?

What if the services you have been seeking are not going to meet your needs?

What if your therapist doesn’t consider the modern-day context in which you live?

How can your therapist have empathy for you, unless they think deeply about the context of modern life?

It is great for you, the consumer – all this choice – though like the old saying goes; buyer beware.

We cannot afford for our own health’s sake to put our mental health and wellness in the hands of practitioners we know nothing about.

What you don’t find out on social media is – how qualified your therapist is, what professional association they may be part of, how many years has a practitioner been in the field, and whether they even know what they’re doing.

All of this poses a problem for you, the consumer.

And as a consumer, you don’t know if someone is a good practitioner or not. They can claim anything and you are a sitting duck.

Results may speak for themselves, though therapy in particular is not just about results.

It is about your journey to wellness.

It’s about how helpful it was and how much you felt you changed in a positive way.

Good therapy is not a quick fix.

Did you feel that your counsellor listened intently to you?

Did you feel that they connected with you?

Connection and rapport are two cornerstones of therapy.

Testimonials on someone’s website could be written by colleagues, friends or loved ones – so just because somebody has a good rating, does not mean that they are good at their job.

There is a growth in the number of coaches and wellness practitioners without any credentials and this again is a problem for you, the end user, consumer and client.

The problem with the current market across counselling, psychotherapy, coaching and wellness services is that the market is currently flooded.

Consider asking some of the following questions of your counsellor, coach, psychologist or psychotherapist…

• What are your qualifications?
• What is your experience?
• How do you work with clients?
• Have you helped people in a similar situation to me?
• Do you work with only specific kinds of clients?
• What is your professional association?

Knowledgeable and experienced practitioners will be able to answer the above questions, along with any other questions you have.

I’m happy to answer these questions and have this conversation with you, if you’d like.

I hope this information has been helpful and useful.

I am here in awe of you seeking help.

I am privileged to have this as my vocation to help people like you – have a better life.