A community of reflective practitioners

I am of the firm belief that

being human and becoming one’s true self is the biggest pursuit of one’s existence.

And while this axiom is fundamentally true to all, it becomes imperative for a therapist (or training to be one).

For that matter, this is true for anyone who primarily works with people: be it in the business of healing /influence; be it a teacher, guide, mentor, life coach, motivational speaker, a clinical psychologist, social worker/psychiatrist – the whole spectrum.

Have we lost the way somewhere? This is something I muse on quite often during my self-analysis and reflection these days. When I refer to ‘we’- I’m referring to the community of people working in the domain of mental health and well-being.

Has the mental health field become way too industrialized? Have our own anxieties about survival, making our mark, networking, publishing, getting more clients, getting noticed, in short- existential dreads and other external forces like capitalistic and market trends, the socio cultural milieu created more competition and divide? Are we trapped in a vortex of defenses that we often see in our clients but maybe failing to see in us?  

Quoting Freud –

“We understand very well how to interpret in other people the same acts which we refuse to acknowledge in ourselves.”

All the above, begets this question-

Have we stopped being reflective- about our self and our practice?

When freshers write to me seeking mentoring, job opportunities with their ‘impressive’ resumes – a masters in clinical psychology, so and so internships, these many hours of training and seminars, a cover letter when stripped to communicative intent – ‘am a clinical psychologist and that sets me apart from a diploma holder or a counselling psychologist/ counsellor’

First of all, if we go by the rules in India, you are a clinical psychologist only post MPhil from a RCI recognised institute, and post acquiring a RCI license. Disheartening right?

But then is it just about the rules and legislative issues, or about skill set/ experience/self-analysis/ growth?

Can you really handle a client who calls you in the middle of the night and says he/she has a knife in her and is about to slash his/her wrist? Or connect and empathize with a client who is constantly attacking you by making personal remarks about how you look? How do you talk to a client who will not speak no matter what you do? How do you speak to someone who reminds you of someone who has bullied/abused you in your past?

 While I have seen how a lot of people practice with a sheer lack of training and such legislations might help in preventing malpractice, I have also honestly witnessed well trained clinical psychologists/ psychiatrists with licenses who are barely humane, authoritative, are overworking, burnt out and has a practice that’s devoid of reflection into the self or the practice itself.

And I have had the honor of knowing people without these licenses conduct reflective practices, going for supervision and personal therapy and prioritize and respect the client for the human they are.

Licensure does serve a purpose, but when we focus only on licensure, are we truly talking about quality practices or are there certain underlying defenses we might be overlooking? Are we oversimplifying the system? Are we stopping to look further than labels and clarity that it lends?

Are we segregating, categorizing and creating more discord and disharmony than a shared community, a collaborative safe space based on inclusivity?

When it comes to people, we are far more complex, thus the systems we create should also be layered, dynamic and contain multiple needs.

A social change and a shift in mindset can help change this trend. The change being more on the lines of harmony and dialogue than divisiveness and segregation. Where there’s dialogue amongst like-minded individuals be it laymen, counsellor, clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist, with a common goal- that’s quality mental health, where each of us are playing to our strengths, learn, respect and support each other, then rely on labels, hierarchy and exclusion.

we can collaborate and strive towards value and quality, in the process serve and support each other on our personal journeys, while serving our clients and enabling them on their personal journeys.

What are your thoughts on this? have you felt this need too? Comment your thoughts below. Can you share this across your peers so that we can start a honest conversation?

A meaningful conversation can open more doors than silence.