There seems to be quite a different method of operation between some counsellors with regard to methods and protocols. I refer to some non government organisations and agencies who are in some way funded by the government. Often when an agency person calls to ask about my availability for client referral the agency person seems very surprised when I say one or two weeks to get an appointment with me.
Some agency departments working with children and teenagers, which includes mental health areas are often inundated with clients. There are long waiting periods to get into see counsellors. Not with me though! I have heard some counsellors saying with a degree of self importance that "we are full booked" "no availabilities". This must mean they are very busy and have their work "cut out" for the next several months, they seem happy to have a full quota.
The surprise I hear in some agency counsellors voice's when I say my availability is one or two weeks leaves me wondering whether I am not busy enough (good enough) and not as "full up" as them. I do not ponder this too long because I do very good work in the way I run my private counselling practice. The other strange difference I have noticed between styles of client protocols between private and agency counselling work is when the agency person seems to relate closing a case as an accomplishment in their work.
I sense that when a referred client is nearing their quota of funded sessions the agency person is also nearing their goal with the client. Of course my goals for the client may be quite different. I would consider the importance of the work in progress of my client to be essential. Sometimes the success of that work may not fit the same context of agency counsellors quotas. The agency worker and their sense of achievement in closing client files seems to show the pressures in which may effect their individual work place assessment figures. I guess if the agency worker was able to close more cases in one month that is a good thing for their statistics, however my aim is to cure the client. My therapeutic process may not fit into a time frame set out in the context of others protocols. My assessment criteria for achievement seems different to the case worker.K
post script comment
I think agency counselling services want to help people however there are limited resources and large demands on services. In the end its up to the agency counsellor whether they frame their style of work around the dictates of the system.
I for one would not like to be governed by those type of constraints in my work however at the same time I prefer to steer away from "over prescribing" counselling to clients. I work at one particular agency where they refer clients with limited funding.
It is a very low socio economic area and some of the people I see would never be able to afford counselling if it wasn't for the agency funding. Sometimes I get a referral that says 4 sessions or 6 sessions (with review). Shorter term or "limited session" work can have some very good results in my view however many of the same clients would benefit from longer term work.
It seems that I have one foot in the agency camp and that is perhaps why I am making my comments here. Designing a plan for clients over shorter periods of counselling is a challenging and creative process and one which can produce very good results.
4 comments:
That is so annoying. So mental health here in Australia is a lot like the health problem in America then? That is really so annoying.
Just pop them a couple of 'fix it' pills Ken. That will make everything alright again won't it?
So annoying!
Hi Ken,
My father was a doctor, a dermatologist, and I remember him talking about the booking or being the busy professional thing a lot. It seems "the good one is the busy one" applies not only still but everywhere!
Any how, I wonder where their, agencies', assupmtions regarding mental health care come from. I wonder what studies or experiments they rely on for the time limit they put for the cure and soforth.
Sometimes it dawns on me that they approach the mental health as it is similar to say, dental health.
Maryam.
Good for you Ken.
That is an interesting concept Maryam. In Dentistry as in some counselling perhaps the pulling of tooths will solve everything. No point for lengthy deep root canal treatments.
I think basically that most agency services want to help people however there are limited resources and large demand. In the end its up to the agency counsellor whether or not they frame their work around the dictates of the system.
I for one would not like to be governed by those constraints in my work. I do work at one particular agency as a consultant where they refer clients with limited funding for the sessions.
The location is a very low socio economic area and some of the people I see would never be able to afford counselling if it wasn't for the funding. Sometimes I get a referral that says 4 sessions or 6 sessions (with review). Sometimes that limited work can have some good results. But mostly the benefit for them would be longer term work.
It seems that I have one foot in the agency camp and that is perhaps why I am making my comments here. I certainly wouldn't develop a "case closed" mentality if my work their extended to more clients.
kenoath
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