Posted by simcha on December 6, 2004, at 23:32:33
In reply to Re: simcha, posted by messadivoce on December 6, 2004, at 0:16:37
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
I actually love an educated client. When a client is searching out answers I know that they are getting better.
I think that some therapists are insecure about their expertise and think that therapy should be some sort of secret. I don't like that. Then again I come from a Holistic perspective. I'm kind of a radical in my field.
Also, seeing how some clients look up information and apply it to their own situations is very diagnostic. Hypochondriacs are easier to spot this way. Sometimes a client may diagnose themselves improperly. I tend to err on the side of client education. When I was starting therapy ten years ago I read everything I could about what I was experiencing. This helped me and my therapy.
I've had many a psychiatrist roll their eyes when I give them information about medication that they would rather that I don't know about.
Also, there are some pretty crappy sites out there about psychiatry and psychology. Generally these are infiltrated by scientologists who hate psychiatry and psychology. They call it quackery.
So, this site is actually very excellent as a source for reliable information. WebMD is another good source. NIMH has a great site too. Be careful out there. Not all that is written anywhere is true.
Also, I'm humble enough to know that I can be wrong too. So, I do make mistakes with clients and I acknowledge them. There are limits to what we know about psychology and I acknowledge this with clients. Sometimes when I don't know the therapy is about sitting in the "I don't know."
Simcha
poster:simcha
thread:420851
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041203/msgs/425476.html