Originally published August 3 2013
Seven dirty secrets that counselors and mental health pros will never reveal
by Mike Bundrant
(NaturalNews) As a manager care insider and licensed mental health counselor for many years, I understand that what I am about to tell you harms the credibility of the industry.
I'm glad, because the conventional mental health system is a cruel joke.
What I am about the share comes from my personal experience working under the supervision of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, as well as the bean counters that make the rules in standard mental health practice.
It's ugly.
Nevertheless, the following is based on the actual "supervision" I regularly received as well as interactions with colleagues over a 10-year period.
1. Get 'em on drugs and out the door.
The practice manager actually said these words to me when I approached her to get approval for additional sessions for a particular client. More sessions equals more expense for the insurance company and practice managers must fall in line and keep counselors on a tight leash.
2. Hospitals don't heal anyone.
In mental health, hospitals are viewed as an expensive liability protector. When someone may kill themselves or someone else, they are sent to the hospital to cool off, but only if the insurance company views this as a way to keep from getting sued. "Nobody gets better in a hospital." I still remember these words from my supervisor.
3. Cover your butt first.
I was once told that it didn't matter which decision I made on behalf of the client, as long as I could make a good case for it in my notes. The perspective is this: Write your case notes knowing that they may be reviewed one day as part of a lawsuit and make sure your butt is covered, regardless of how you direct the client.
4. Money determines the diagnosis.
Stronger, more serious diagnoses get obligatory approval for more sessions, which means more income for the practitioner. In the agency I worked for, counselors routinely and automatically diagnose the worst mental illness they could possibly justify, as you can imagine.
5. Money determines what truth is told.
When someone comes to see you for emotional development, you often need to tell them things they don't want to hear. After all, we do largely create our own problems and then deny what we are doing.
Often, people get defensive and don't want to hear the truth. The art of skillful counseling lies in being able to deliver the bad news in a way that the client can accept and learn from.
Many counselors, for fear of offending (and losing) their clients, withhold the truth so the client will keep coming. This is an unethical form of collusion that hurts the client and his family, of course.
6. Professional boundaries create a false image of your helper.
Counselors are people too and struggle with their own issues, often more than average. Due to strict professional boundaries, counselors don't share anything about their own lives. Of course, this can lead you to pouring your heart out to someone who has worse problems than you do and who cannot find solutions in his or her own life.
7. You are just a number in a bean counter's register.
The bottom line is that it's about the bottom line. So many clients, so much money. Keep the practices full, the insurance companies appeased and the revolving door turning.
Of course, not all counselors, or psychiatrists for that matter, harbor these secrets. Some practice conscientiously. The safest bet is to find someone to work with who doesn't take insurance, who is willing to be honest about his or her own life (appropriately), who will not withhold opinions to protect your ego, and who puts people before dollars.
Here's an idea. If you are searching for a counselor, print out this article and hand it to them. If they begin to make excuses or become defensive, they might not be the best choice, as this would be an indicator that they are enmeshed with the system.
Remember, counselors work for you as your hired consultant. Above all, know what you are looking for and make sure you get it, as you would when hiring anyone to do something valuable.
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About the author:
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
The information in this video has been called the missing link in mental health and personal development. In a world full of shallow, quick-fix techniques, second rate psychology and pharmaceutical takeovers, real solutions have become nearly impossible to find. Click here to watch the presentation that will turn your world upside down.
Mike Bundrant is co-founder of the iNLP Center and host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program.
Follow Mike on Facebook for daily personal development tips.
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
The information in this video has been called the missing link in mental health and personal development. In a world full of shallow, quick-fix techniques, second rate psychology and pharmaceutical takeovers, real solutions have become nearly impossible to find. Click here to watch the presentation that will turn your world upside down.
Mike Bundrant is co-founder of the iNLP Center and host of Mental Health Exposed, a Natural News Radio program.
Follow Mike on Facebook for daily personal development tips.
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