Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Therapists who were themselves former patients?

  • 07-01-2010 7:46pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 703 ✭✭✭


    How is this viewed within the practicing establishment? A few colleagues were former sufferers of anxiety, one even hospitalised, yet now many years on is a qualified Psychotherapist, I know of a few others in training who had considerable problems with their own mental health. I've had problems, didn't need hospitalisation but did meet the Psychiatric staff at a hospital,however long term I'd really love to at least try a Counselling or Psychotherapy course myself. Have experienced a lot through Grow and well feel I could and would like to help in the future.:)..not now I stress but maybe within 2-3 years.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭krankykitty


    Its a requirement of many training courses to undergo your own treatment/analysis to varying degrees.

    My personal opinion would be that having such an experience could only add to the therapist's knowledge and understanding of the therapeutic process. In fact I think I'd definitely prefer to know I was seeing a therapist who wasn't too proud to ask for help themselves, and who know they are not immune to psychological distress and problems.

    Definitely you should look into the courses, if it's something you want to do. Your previous experience will probably be more of a help to you than a hindrance, IMO.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    For analysts it part of your training, I was in analysis for five years, three of those where twice weekly. That's above the require limit for my organisation but I had alot to talk about.

    The thing is say in the addiction field there are alot of therapists who would be in recovery themselves. They thing is from my viewpoint, my analysis was about me and the process of analysis, it has helped me in my professional life, but its of little use to my clients. Once again in the addiction field, clients often state that such and such is a good therapist, because they were addicted and understand.

    I wouldn't be a fan of that, if the therapist was an addict themselves the client should not know. What worked in my therapy is of no use to someone else we are different people. I work with addicts, and some of them have various other disorders, that would mean I would have to experience them as well, no thanks.

    So to answer your question, I think all therapists should have personal therapy, some may have had various disorders but that experience wil not make them a better or worse therapist. Some people may come from a place that is considered "normal" and may not be able to function as a therapist. I know a few people that undertook extensive courses and therapy only to discover that was not the job for them.

    Hope that makes a little sense.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭krankykitty


    I would agree with you Odysseus that it's not necessarily appropriate to let client know that you had a similar issue, ie addiction to themselves, I don't think that has any place in the therapy, as each person's experience of the addiction is different to the other.

    I don't think it's important that the therapist has experienced particular disorders or problems themselves, but more important that they have once sat in the client's place in the therapeutic process, and have an understanding of what it is like to be a client in that process, and worked through at least some of their own stuff. I think this gives you an understanding more so than actually having the mental issue. So in answer to Filan's question, I think its more the experience of therapy as a client rather than the experience of the issue/disorder/illness that's most beneficial to the trainee therapist, imo.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 703 ✭✭✭Filan


    thanks Odysseus, that's an interesting insight. So you don't think past personal difficulties would make one a better therapist? It could obviously increase empathy...anyway it wouldn't be held against me if I did apply for such?. Ivor Browne said that 4 of 5 candidates who applied for a Psychiatric position in Dublin in the 1960's were alcoholics...didn't make them bad doctors but it's questionable whether it helped...I wonder whether many in the physical/mental health sector have significant problems themselves? Dr Jim McDaid T.D., a medical doctor is an open alcoholic.... My personal circumstances don't suit education now, but that will change...


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,327 ✭✭✭hotspur


    I would agree with you Odysseus that it's not necessarily appropriate to let client know that you had a similar issue, ie addiction to themselves, I don't think that has any place in the therapy, as each person's experience of the addiction is different to the other.

    Surely it depends somewhat on the therapeutic modality you are working in. A person centred therapist is apt to use the whole of themselves and their experiences in their being there for the client. Whereas a classically functioning Lacanian analyst such as Odysseus could be said to be anything but a real and full person and is instead a mirror for the client.
    Filan wrote: »
    I wonder whether many in the physical/mental health sector have significant problems themselves? Dr Jim McDaid T.D., a medical doctor is an open alcoholic....

    It's been said that the definition of an alcoholic is somebody who drinks more than their doctor does. Another view that always did the rounds in psychology was that people specialised in what their weaknesses were.

    I've never been 100% comfortable with the aspect of the therapeutic community addiction model which tends to encourage its graduates to start training in addiction counselling so soon after going through the programme themselves. I suppose it's a throwback to when the field was almost entirely populated by paraprofessionals, and the idea was to pitch in and give something back.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭krankykitty


    hotspur wrote: »
    Surely it depends somewhat on the therapeutic modality you are working in. A person centred therapist is apt to use the whole of themselves and their experiences in their being there for the client. Whereas a classically functioning Lacanian analyst such as Odysseus could be said to be anything but a real and full person and is instead a mirror for the client

    As I see it, the person centred therapist would certainly be using the whole of themselves and their experiences, but that doesn't translate in my view to disclosure of your own personal experience to the client. For example, using your own experience of say, anxiety, to gain more understanding of how the client might be feeling (bearing in mind that they are a different person, and the therapist's experience, though it may have been similar in theme, is not the same as theirs).

    However, I would personally be reluctant to actually start telling the client all about my own issues. That's just my opinion though, and I'm sure many person-centred therapists probably do use self-disclosure in a helpful way.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,083 ✭✭✭sambuka41


    Im not currently working as a therapist (hoping to start training in sept) but i work in social care and i've come across plenty of people working in this field whose personal experiences cloud their judgement. They've coped with their problems a certain way and expect everyone else to do the same and they can react negatively when the client chooses another road.

    I believe thats a matter of professional distance and can happen in any position, social care worker or therapist. Thats the importance of undergoing you're own therapy so as not to put your problems on the table. I would be of the psychoanalyst view point about no personal information tho,its harder to make a connection without that sharing but i personally believe the connection has more impact (of course this is just observations from my work as a social care worker)

    So i would say that it can be a negative thing and a positive thing!!!:)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 703 ✭✭✭Filan


    I've encountered a few people with similar problems to me and yes one in particular became very aggressive when I didn't deal with it in the same way they did...so relate to the last point!...:)
    There was many ways to deal with it, but this person's own experience blinded them to alternatives.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    Filan wrote: »
    thanks Odysseus, that's an interesting insight. So you don't think past personal difficulties would make one a better therapist? It could obviously increase empathy...anyway it wouldn't be held against me if I did apply for such?. Ivor Browne said that 4 of 5 candidates who applied for a Psychiatric position in Dublin in the 1960's were alcoholics...didn't make them bad doctors but it's questionable whether it helped...I wonder whether many in the physical/mental health sector have significant problems themselves? Dr Jim McDaid T.D., a medical doctor is an open alcoholic.... My personal circumstances don't suit education now, but that will change...

    Hi Filan, for me its about the ability to hold a position, my position is to keep the client engaged in a process. I would be a big on the concept of empathy, but that's a different discussion.

    Going back to the addiction field just because its a common example. A high amount of my clients, were abused, would I have to tick that box too. A high amount engaged in criminal activity, the list list would just go on, if you get my point.

    Now don't get me wrong, I know some excellent therapists coming from an addiction background. The danger I see is where some was treated in a certain way, a good example here is 12 step modality, I have seen it time and time again, where some seen their way as the only way. That's not to say every 12 step therapist is like that. However, in those cases they are negating the clients subjectivity, so any type of fundamentalism is wrong.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    hotspur wrote: »
    Surely it depends somewhat on the therapeutic modality you are working in. A person centred therapist is apt to use the whole of themselves and their experiences in their being there for the client. Whereas a classically functioning Lacanian analyst such as Odysseus could be said to be anything but a real and full person and is instead a mirror for the client.



    It's been said that the definition of an alcoholic is somebody who drinks more than their doctor does. Another view that always did the rounds in psychology was that people specialised in what their weaknesses were.

    I've never been 100% comfortable with the aspect of the therapeutic community addiction model which tends to encourage its graduates to start training in addiction counselling so soon after going through the programme themselves. I suppose it's a throwback to when the field was almost entirely populated by paraprofessionals, and the idea was to pitch in and give something back.

    I'm not comfortable with that one myself, I have seen too much damage do by "NA nazis" over the years. Now by all means if a person wants to go down that road, I have no problem, but they need a good bit of time and distance. I have various issues with 12 step treatment, but I'm not totally against it either, just in case it appears like that. I personally hate that the lets get a recovering addict to speak, you often see this in papers and stuff like that. I don't mind if the person is clean a long time and making an informed decision, but I'm sure you know the stuff I mean.

    I was very involved in the treatment of my dad when he was dying from cancer, we had him at home and I was giving daily injections, he died two years ago. I using this to make a point. I availed of the hospices therapy service, firstly I will acknowledge that it really helped some members of my family, my mother in particular. However, I was appalled when during one of the sessions the therapist tried to indentify with me, I really felt it negated my experience. Now maybe I was coloured by my years of slience and free association, but it was not what I wanted to hear.

    Now with saying that, I knew I was going into an analytic situation and I would consider myself open enough around different modalities, a lot of my friends and colleagues work in different ways. However, I really felt strongly about this, her identification was off the mark and I think it was something for her own supervision. However, that service helps 1000s of people each year.

    I would be a fully functioning Lacanian;) Yes I would consider my most of my work to be informed from that viewpoint. That degree depends on the client, with my unstable clients I have to work slightly differently, with the more stable and drug free ones I become more Lacanian.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 703 ✭✭✭Filan


    What would the best options be for someone with a degree ?(including two modules in Psychology)...Is there any courses in the southern region that people would recommend for the future? .


Advertisement