What advice would you give a psychologist?

[Sensei]

Let's say you met a psychologist who asked you for advice about their work, e.g. concerning psychotherapy, medication, treatment of patients, and suicidality. What would you tell them?

 

[BitterlyAlive_]

It's difficult to answer this in a general way, in my opinion. I would need more details. What do they struggle with? How do they view the situation? Things like that. But I'm probably overthinking this.

 

[Mentalmick]

Not to look at your watch. Let them finish sentences. Take what they tell you at face value, don't assume they're lying.

 

[signifying nothing]

Forget everything they think they know.

 

[Squiddy]

Actually listen, don't be quick to hospitalize, give your client their full time and attention (don't shorten it), be on time or close to it, try to be judgmental free etc..

 

[blahblahhh]

I would say you need me as much as you think I need you. Also, true story, multiple years ago I asked my psychologist if he needed his diplomas on the wall for external validation? That was my last appointment with him.

 

[esoterispeec]

I would say you need me as much as you think I need you. Also, true story, multiple years ago I asked my psychologist if he needed his diplomas on the wall for external validation? That was my last appointment with him.

Ididot had his diplomaS on the wall looool.

 

[FatalSystemError591]

Study the illnesses and diseases that are less talked about, stigmatized, or uncommon. I don't want to hear any more excuses about psychiatrists not knowing about DID, BPD, Psychosis, etc. Learn about it, educate yourselves, people are relying on you to diagnose us properly, destigmatize it, and help us get treatment for distressing symptoms. You shouldn't be unwilling to learn about or unwilling to work with people with certain mental illnesses. They're coming to you requesting help from themselves and their symptoms, don't remain ignorant on purpose.

 

[blahblahhh]

Study the illnesses and diseases that are less talked about, stigmatized, or uncommon. I don't want to hear any more excuses about psychiatrists not knowing about DID, BPD, Psychosis, etc. Learn about it, educate yourselves, people are relying on you to diagnose us properly, destigmatize it, and help us get treatment for distressing symptoms. You shouldn't be unwilling to learn about or unwilling to work with people with certain mental illnesses. They're coming to you requesting help from themselves and their symptoms, don't remain ignorant on purpose.

It saddens me that the DSM (the diagnostic manual) is primarily used for insurance purposes!

 

[kitch]

Know that everyone want's to be liked and also seen to be "getting better ".

Even though they still hate themselves and are getting worse because you are not getting to the issue, and seeing a psychologist in our society is a big admittance that things are bad.

Also :

Dig dig dig.
There are things (neurosis , bad habits , phobias , addictions ) that are so "normalized" in people that they don't even mention them.
(eg I was an alcoholic for thirty years and my last counsellor never covered that ... and I was emerging into "post self medicating" trauma flashback freak out land with no realization that stopping alcohol was bringing that on .)

Pie in the sky ...
Is there a thing about rapore ? Isn't it better to somehow "like" the person ?
If you are having to generate 'tolerance' or quell dislike ... get them to another psychologist .
I don't know whether blanket compassion and professional empathy really cut it .
Or make it clear that your disgust is for the BEHAVIOR not the person.
(I've been shamed by a few , and it doesn't work.)

 

[moonchild]

To not pretend as if all problems are in my head. I understand they can't be like "yeah your life objectively sucks, I'd want to kill myself too if I were you", but I don't think it's helpful to brush of stress about things like housing and finances, as something peripheral that we barely have to acknowledge. Even if that's obviously not something they can fix, CBT isn't going to do much for worrying about being able to afford rent.

Even as a teenager, they hyper-focused on ME, and what was wrong with ME that made me not want to eat, and just ignored how obviously dysfunctional my family was. As if that didn't matter. Like everything would be fine if I just understood that ~food isn't going to hurt you~