Like, I’ve had several therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists/counselors throughout my life who either seemed disinterested or flat out unfit to deal with people like me, and I don’t even think I’m the worst case scenario (who knows, maybe I am?).
What’s their main demographic, who do they even help? Yuppies, professionals, people in manager positions who already have had successful professional, social, and dating lives?
They’re already too expensive for most of the population, they seem to be absolutely oblivious to the problems of most men of color or trans folks or most gay folks, they can’t help early career young people, definitely not working class people, like what the fuck are they good for? And can people just shut the fuck about ‘just go to therapy, honey’, ‘men will do anything but go to therapy’ like fuck off. I went to therapy, and holy shit yeap, the world still sucks and society is still extremely hostile to me.
Oh I can change my reaction to things? to live in delusion is almost what they seem to be prescribing and nah, I’d rather just save the 100 dollars per session and spend it on 2 months supply of fucking OxyContin.
And motherfucker, if you’re a psychiatrist, and I’m here for adderall or anxiolitics or fucking laxatives, you had better fucking give it to me. I didn’t fucking pay 150 to prescribe me children’s medication or to be lectured about the importance of therapy.
From SPK (Sozialistisches Patienten Kollektiv)'s "Turn Illness into a Weapon":
"The capitalist production process is at the same time a process that destroys life. It continuously destroys life and produces capital. [...] Illness is the expression of the life-destroying power of capital. Illness is collectively produced: that is, in so far as the worker creates capital in the work process, which encounters him as an alien force, he collectively produces his own isolation. It’s therefore only logical that healthcare produced by capitalism perpetuates this isolation in that it doesn’t treat these symptoms as collective but rather treats them as individual bad luck, fault, and failure. However, capitalism produces, in the form of illness, the most dangerous threat to itself. Therefore it has to fight against the progressive moment in illness with its heaviest weapons : the healthcare system, the legal system, the police."
Yeah, oof. As someone training to be a therapist these threads pain me. Parts of me want to be like "not all therapists!", then I remember that I am constantly hurt, disturbed, and alienated by things my supervisors say and do. Even I have never really had a counsellor, therapist, or psychiatrist that I didn't eventually hate
I still believe good therapists and good therapies exist, but they are so few and far between. Most therapists are eager to round off people's edges with the (explicit or implicit) goal of conforming to neurotypical standards. I think there are real benefits to cognitive-behavioural approaches, which focus on shaping maladaptive/problematic/negative thoughts and behaviours - but these are not universal. I have more hope for the value-driven, person-centered kinds of care where a therapist can help someone find meaning, satisfaction, and joy in their life by helping them put their personal values into action.
I have no choice but to convince myself that I (and the other amazing, radical people I know and look up to) can make better care a reality, because the alternative is too grim.
Right on. I’m in the field, and I’m all about helping kids embrace their strengths and put their personal values into action. Not to become cogs in anyone’s machine.