Wow, two weeks, and I thought I was keeping up. Life gets confusing when there are so many virtual conversations running through it. it wasn't this way before all this e-stuff and i-stuff. There was a times when I went to work and came home. I read magazines, tormented my kids, watched the Celtics and went to bed.
Now there is email, list serves, national small group conversations, international strange group communications, family pictures, and even friends who expect messages and responses. All of this is good, but it clutters up the mind. And I don't even do Facebook. It's not good for therapists to "friends" with people. We are not really too likable anyway. We tend to be shy, overly intellectual, too observant, and make people uncomfortable. If you meet an really out-going, energetic, up-beat psychologist; you know he either is all schtick, or else he hasn't been paying attention. All of us good therapists are sullen and depressed by how much we know about the world.
And, speaking of depression. The reason I have not been on this blog is that I have been in hot correspondence with other psychologists about the imminent demise of our profession. It may not be obvious to you, but the opportunity to see a Ph.D. Psychologist for psychotherapy is rapidly slipping away. We are being replaced by medications, neurological brain scans, and Master's level therapists.
I don't know if any of you care what degree your therapists has, and probably most of you who have been in therapy may not even know what the difference is between a psychiatrist, psychologist, MSW, MA, LICSW, MFT, and various other types of after-the-name letters that can make one seem to have the experience and/or training to help people having difficulties. I know that when many people don't know what to do they go to a psychic.
But, although psychotherapy done by a Ph.D. Psychologist has been reimbursed as a health insurance benefit for over thirty years, and will probably still continue to be covered, most people are being steered by those insurance companies to lesser trained people, who get paid even less than we do, and we have not had a fee increase in twenty years.
Even psychiatrists are seeing their role diminished as PCPs are being told to give anti-depressants to anyone who cries, and nurse-practitioners are now writing lots of the prescriptions for psychiatric medicines.
I know I can make the case that a Ph.D. Psychologist is more learned, better supervised, and probably has a more comprehensive understanding of all the many factors, physical, emotional, cultural, familial, genetic and inter-psychic, that determine how and why people think, feel and behave the way they do.
But does this make them better therapists? And how can we prove it?
AND
Does this matter to anyone by Ph.D. Psychologists.
I'm afraid not.
Puff, we disappear.
6 comments:
I think today's therapists are suffering the effects of "pigs at the trough" in the 70's. I am ashamed to say this, but in 1970 I allowed myself to be talked into undergoing orthodox Freudian psychoanalysis, four hours a week for the foreseeable future. My husband was working for the US government and had a generous insurance plan that paid 80 percent of the costs without question. Unthinkable today. It was an awful mismatch of patient (I HATED that word) and treatment plan. I knew it within a month, but it took me a year to work up the gumption to walk away. I was deeply attached to my doctor, but I found his interpretations ludicrous. When I laughed, he said I was resisting. Today I still feel bad about that wasted insurance money. I wonder how long the therapist (a medical doctor) was able to hang on. The winds of change were picking up speed even then.
i think you overlooked something . . . beyond drugs or insurance companies, or degrees or lack of degrees.
another facet of this problem, it seems to me from my experience, is the stigma associated with obtaining mental health. a stigma perpetuated by the likes of tom cruise . . .
by way of anecdote: recently, the brother of a close friend went into a drug-induced psychosis. "drug-induced" because he never went to see a doctor to help him deal with various emotional traumas and instead self-medicated. and why didn't he go see a doctor? because, according to him, psychology is "pop science". and where did he get that idea? see above.
sigh . . .
Don't worry. I noticed common sense always makes a comeback and will always be in demand.
I know I shouldn't be, but I'm surprised at this much raw emotion from a therapist. It's very likable, despite your descriptions of therapists as a whole. Hang in there. There is always a market for highly-skilled, specialized professionals. You may just have to reach outside the norms to find it, if you want to.
I have to say I have never been a fan of Psychologists.. and on a whole I am still in the same mind set..buttttt I also have to say it matters not what that license is or says....it matters the person holding that license..I have had much luck and blessings from LCPC'S (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors)..I have spent years (not liking admitting to that) and have had more success and have done more work with the LCPC...Now from your writings I have enjoyed where you are/who you are(as much as I can see) but still today if I saw Psychologist on that door..I would be walking the opposite way...as far as Facebook and social media communication...it is becoming old school not to friend clients..(certain clients) there are still boundaries even in facebook)...ok just my 2 cents LOL...As always...XOXOXO
What!? Therapists are not likable?? nooo. i really like my therapists that I had.. One therapist pretty much saved my life a couple of times.. I can never talk to a friend the way I talk to my therapists.. and i thought this university counselor was the closest person to being my best friend..
Therapists are cool. they are so talented (not every one of them im sure.. but I've been lucky)
you should be proud of yourself..
Post a Comment