3 ms·

This has become much more clear in the last couple years. Demand shot way up and is far outstripping supply. Then you get into the issue of how so many patien

This has become much more clear in the last couple years. Demand shot way up and is far outstripping supply. Then you get into the issue of how so many patients aren't a good match for the first therapist they try, so they have to jump through all the hoops and fill out all the forms to try another one, which also may not be a good match (all while potentially on the edge of some kind of breakdown)... I went through at least five before I found one I felt was effective for me, and my experience is not uncommon. Personally, I think we need to lower the barrier of entry for people to become therapists, and streamline the whole patient intake process. It's not like the quality is all that great with existing barriers, there are PhDs out there actively harming patients-- one kept trying to push Jesus on me when part of what I was dealing with was childhood religious trauma and the difficulties of restructuring my world view as a nonbeliever, an absolute breach of ethics. We need to make it easier for people to try out multiple therapists until they find one that's a good match for them, and part of that is increasing the supply of therapists. Unfortunately I'm not sure a chatbot is ever going to quite do it except for in the simplest & most clear cut cases, the mental tangles we can get into really require general intelligence to grapple with.

BeFlatXIII 4y ago
Not to mention that the dating game of filling out all the paperwork for the third time may be what pushes someone from on-edge but stable for the day into a breakdown.
mola 4y ago
Therapist have a huge amount of influence and power over their patients. Do you really think lowering the bar is a good idea? Try and imagine the end result. Maybe it's me, but I shudder thinking of it. The real problem, IMHO, is we've built an inhumane economic system that causes tremendous stress over the psyche of the individual. Instead of optimizing for wellbeing,we optimize for GDP, this is a pretty poor proxy. A more humane and tolerant society, with less hyper stimulating culture could reduce the need for more therapists. But of course this is an ideal, I don't know how to get there, but it seems to me unleashing therapists into the wild, while streamlining out the ethical and self regulation that come with the guild structure is a terrible idea.
- slfnflctd 4y ago
  I agree in principle, but in the mean time we need triage. The current system has reached a breaking point. > Do you really think lowering the bar is a good idea? How much lower can the bar go? The "ethical and self regulation" you describe is all too often nonexistent. If my experiences - and many others I've read about - are any indication, the situation couldn't be much worse. There are certified professionals doing everything from actively pushing religion to making a cynical game out of how fast they can pigeonhole your 'symptoms' into a checklist so they can prescribe the currently most marketed drug for that DSM entry. Then they tell you to report back in two months. Just having someone to talk your shit out with regularly who doesn't judge too much and has knowledge of practical solutions for common stressors would be a vast improvement over the 'care' all too many are currently receiving. The guidelines for providing simpler care like this can be clear & concise, and we have better tools now for filtering out bad actors. I see more reasons to continue advocating for such an approach than not at this point.

BeFlatXIII 4y ago

Not to mention that the dating game of filling out all the paperwork for the third time may be what pushes someone from on-edge but stable for the day into a breakdown.

mola 4y ago

Therapist have a huge amount of influence and power over their patients. Do you really think lowering the bar is a good idea? Try and imagine the end result. Maybe it's me, but I shudder thinking of it. The real problem, IMHO, is we've built an inhumane economic system that causes tremendous stress over the psyche of the individual. Instead of optimizing for wellbeing,we optimize for GDP, this is a pretty poor proxy. A more humane and tolerant society, with less hyper stimulating culture could reduce the need for more therapists. But of course this is an ideal, I don't know how to get there, but it seems to me unleashing therapists into the wild, while streamlining out the ethical and self regulation that come with the guild structure is a terrible idea.

slfnflctd 4y ago
I agree in principle, but in the mean time we need triage. The current system has reached a breaking point. > Do you really think lowering the bar is a good idea? How much lower can the bar go? The "ethical and self regulation" you describe is all too often nonexistent. If my experiences - and many others I've read about - are any indication, the situation couldn't be much worse. There are certified professionals doing everything from actively pushing religion to making a cynical game out of how fast they can pigeonhole your 'symptoms' into a checklist so they can prescribe the currently most marketed drug for that DSM entry. Then they tell you to report back in two months. Just having someone to talk your shit out with regularly who doesn't judge too much and has knowledge of practical solutions for common stressors would be a vast improvement over the 'care' all too many are currently receiving. The guidelines for providing simpler care like this can be clear & concise, and we have better tools now for filtering out bad actors. I see more reasons to continue advocating for such an approach than not at this point.