# anyone think we need an SAS therapist?



## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

I think it'd be beneficial to have a licensed therapist on here to talk to people who need it. I don't know if they'd have to identify themselves as such, since that might make people more nervous and less reluctant to talk. I know that I, as well as several others on this site, have played the role of therapist, but we can't offer too much help since we suffer from the same problems and worries, as well as the fact that we don't have any licensing. Anyone else think this is a good idea? Or maybe thoughts on how to improve/implement this plan?


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

It's an idea,

The shear volume of patients would make it very difficult for them to provide an effective service, it would probably be more of an agony aunt type of situation.

But I like where you're going


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

You'd need dozens of them.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

odd_one_out said:


> You'd need dozens of them.


I think you meant "we'd need dozens of them" :lol
So far, we seem to do okay with the more "further along" sufferers.


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

They'd want to be paid.


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

NoSocialButterfly said:


> Yeah, no one could stand dealing with someone like me, unless there were financial incentives. That's for sure.


That's not true. I'm going to school to be a therapist and I know several others who are as well. We're not in it for the money, but for the reward of helping people. Yeah, money doesn't hurt, but that's a different issue. The reason why I said this is because I've talked to people who seriously need help and won't get it and it frustrates me. :|


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## sherbert (Jun 24, 2005)

JoinMartin is the closest that I have come across on this website. He's a great resource!  Read some of his prior posts and you'll understand. 


Also, the most effective therapist that I encountered had suffered through depression and anxiety issues herself. It's very inspiring to have someone leading by example.


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

I personally really like the idea!  Could be beneficial for at least some people on here who can't afford or gain easy access to therapists offline, and who have found other means of help such as medication and self help books either unhelpful or not as helpful as they'd hoped. And seeing as there are people who willingly offer counselling services on a volunteer basis offline - such as for example when it comes to organisations such as the Samaritans - strikes me there has to be some people out there who'd be willing to offer volunteer therapist services online too. 

Still, does occur to me that as there's a number of different therapy types that suit the needs of different people - that could make the process of finding the right number of appropriately experienced volunteers extra tricky...


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## percyblueraincoat (Jun 2, 2009)

*hmm*

Thinking about this a little more, I think there wouldn't be anything out of place in creating some sort of collection of or list of therapists/trainee therapists who were happy to be available for anyone on this website who might wish to chat to them or whatever. Whether trainee or not, each one of us should be aware of our ethical and legal frameworks, what we can't do and what we can and whether our interaction with people from this website in a therapy context would be appropriate or not. Some of us trainees will be in a position to provide therapy for people and some of us have such a framework in our training that we need instead of act in more of a "friendly ear" role and someone to chat to. We would also need to be very careful if the person has already engaged the help of or is already engaged in a healing relationship with another therapist.

Therapy is always a good idea if someone is in doubt about their mental health. But we do have to face the fact that the cost of it can be a big barrier to people. I mean, here in the UK, there's such a thing as a waiting list to see a therapist if you want it funded by the NHS. A waiting list? How long are we supposed to wait while a person's mental health is in danger?

I would be interested in discussing this further with therapists, trainee therapists, the owners and people who run this website and anyone else who would be required to involve.

Oh, and, sherbert, thanks very much indeed. Much appreciated. Best wishes to you.


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

joinmartin said:


> Thinking about this a little more, I think there wouldn't be anything out of place in creating some sort of collection of or list of therapists/trainee therapists who were happy to be available for anyone on this website who might wish to chat to them or whatever. Whether trainee or not, each one of us should be aware of our ethical and legal frameworks, what we can't do and what we can and whether our interaction with people from this website in a therapy context would be appropriate or not. Some of us trainees will be in a position to provide therapy for people and some of us have such a framework in our training that we need instead of act in more of a "friendly ear" role and someone to chat to. We would also need to be very careful if the person has already engaged the help of or is already engaged in a healing relationship with another therapist.
> 
> Therapy is always a good idea if someone is in doubt about their mental health. But we do have to face the fact that the cost of it can be a big barrier to people. I mean, here in the UK, there's such a thing as a waiting list to see a therapist if you want it funded by the NHS. A waiting list? How long are we supposed to wait while a person's mental health is in danger?
> 
> ...


you sound very wise, joinmartin. I think you have some good ideas. And while I agree with your previous post on this thread that sometimes people who have been there are good to talk to, it doesn't always help. People don't always listen to what I have to say and I don't yet have the tools to help them. I don't know about what licensing, but trainees or volunteer therapists I feel would be beneficial to those of us on here who cannot afford or bring themselves to seek help. There are so many people on here who don't have supportive families, don't have incomes, don't have healthcare, and can't find their way out of the hole of depression and anxiety. People who can't always be helped by others with similiar situations and who need someone with the proper training to help them. I might be able to talk to my psych major friends, but that's still not enough. Joinmartin, you're really understanding my issue and I enjoy hearing your thoughts.


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

Agreeing, very good ideas there Joinmartin!


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

NoSocialButterfly said:


> More of comment about how frustratingly difficult I am to deal with. I'm going to a therapist currently and he seems genuinely committed to helping me and wants me to lead a productive life. I appreciate having him to speak with, but feel guilty that he has to put up with someone as confused and stubborn as I am.


I can relate to those kinds of feelings. Especially as I know in private one to one people situations I often have a habit of talking very fast and at length if I have alot I feel I need to get out verbally at once. It's not something I mean to do. But a habit I tend to automatically fall into. And am fairly sure it's happened at least a couple of times this has frustrated mental health professionals who were listening to me. I can't say I can really blame them, because I've also experienced that kind of thing from the other point of view - and know I don't find it easy to deal with when someone is talking at top speed as I struggle with keeping up with everything they're saying. There have also been times I've not always been able to complete a task a mental health professional has given me between appointments - and I've felt really guilty/bad over it. And have felt sure this must have really annoyed the person trying to help me and must have started thinking of me as an especially difficult person to deal with. On one level I'm aware in my case much of this is down to mind reading on my part and maybe at least to some extent I'm wrong. But certain things professionals have actually said to me in the past, as well as body language clues, have also led to me to feel this guess isn't necessarily completely incorrect all the time either.


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## Insanityonthego (Jul 5, 2010)

orchdorch925 said:


> I think it'd be beneficial to have a licensed therapist on here to talk to people who need it. I don't know if they'd have to identify themselves as such, since that might make people more nervous and less reluctant to talk. I know that I, as well as several others on this site, have played the role of therapist, but we can't offer too much help since we suffer from the same problems and worries, as well as the fact that we don't have any licensing. Anyone else think this is a good idea? Or maybe thoughts on how to improve/implement this plan?


Best idea I've heard on here so far. What are you waiting to get one already? We all need this teens and adults alike. This guy called *Analytical *here on the forum I think has a degree in chemistry, he is willing to answer questions on here so I asked him I'm not sure he is willing to stay permanently on the forum though, it might be quite complicated to find a real therapist to commit on a forum but maybe as a part-time?


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

sophiek said:


> Best idea I've heard on here so far. What are you waiting to get one already? We all need this teens and adults alike. This guy called *Analytical *here on the forum I think has a degree in chemistry, he is willing to answer questions on here so I asked him I'm not sure he is willing to stay permanently on the forum though, it might be quite complicated to find a real therapist to commit on a forum but maybe as a part-time?


See, I dunno. While I love this idea and I think there are a lot of us who can benefit, I'm more of the idea person. Sadly, I never know how to implement my awesome plans. The only thing I can think of is maybe making a listing or something for counseling students to give help and practice their skills on this site. I don't know how to go about doing that, since the idea of actually approaching anyone about it terrifies me. :afrMaybe I could see if I could talk to my therapist about it, see what she thinks, although I'm always reluctant to bring up this site around her because I fear that she'll say something like I need to focus on me and not other people, which is not gunna happen. :roll


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## percyblueraincoat (Jun 2, 2009)

*hmm*



orchdorch925 said:


> See, I dunno. While I love this idea and I think there are a lot of us who can benefit, I'm more of the idea person. Sadly, I never know how to implement my awesome plans. The only thing I can think of is maybe making a listing or something for counseling students to give help and practice their skills on this site. I don't know how to go about doing that, since the idea of actually approaching anyone about it terrifies me. :afrMaybe I could see if I could talk to my therapist about it, see what she thinks, although I'm always reluctant to bring up this site around her because I fear that she'll say something like I need to focus on me and not other people, which is not gunna happen. :roll


And it is a good idea so congratulate yourself on that. I never really did get round to finding out who was running this website but I am more than happy to discuss such an idea as this with the owners/operators of this website if it is something which they feel would be a good idea. It might also be worth the trainee therapists/therapists or whoever discussing this together so that we all get a sense of what kind of resources, skills and qualifications we all have and how we might be best placed to help people that want that help. If someone wants to contact me about this, please feel free to do so and if people want me to make the first move then just tell me how and when and I'll do it.


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

Isn't it Drew who runs this site? I know he's the administrator here. 




joinmartin said:


> Well, body language is an unreliable interpret owing to the potential to assume, observe, interpret and place individual meanings onto things without owning them as our own interpretations of what the other person is doing or saying.


Sure.  But I was talking about verbal clues in addition to body language clues. For example, when it came to the last professional I saw in a therapy related capacity, and it came to discussing a homework task - not only was her facial expression stern, so was the tone of her voice. That left me in little doubt she wasn't happy with me. This impression was correct. As then she openly indicated with her actual words that she thought I should have come up with a different result to the one I did. I'd say that was all a pretty reliable basis for deciding she disapproved of how I'd handled the task she'd given me and was not happy with it. 



joinmartin said:


> As a trainee therapist, I would have absolutely no problem whatsoever with a client talking very fast at me. I'm working with a client. Not asking them to change themselves so they suddenly make things easier for me. For all I know, this problem or set of issues might have been bouncing around in their heads for goodness knows how long and it being let out in fast pace speech might well be a healing process of its own.
> 
> Besides, it would be wise for me to listen to what's said anyway. The client has the answers and the resources they need but the problem and issues are stopping them from finding them and discovering that strength, trust and love in the self. The client has the opportunity to express themselves however they wish so they can show me what's going on, what their internal representations are like etc. I'm working with a person. Not something a textbook told me about.
> 
> ...


Strikes me that you're a person who possesses a lot of genuine sensitivity and empathy towards your clients, and who has a lot of genuine belief and passion in what you do.  It's good to hear from somebody like that. Makes me think maybe I shouldn't entirely give up hope in the NHS we have where I am just yet.


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

Black_Widow said:


> But I was talking about verbal clues in addition to body language clues.


Yeah, like how my therapist can tell when I'm nervous because of my tone of voice or my fiddling with my hair of jewelry. My idea for this is to get an SAS therapist to help those who can't afford/ can't get help otherwise. My goal is for this to be a stepping stone, giving preliminary help for those who desperately need it. I mean, yeah, I could use a therapist on here as a sounding board, but I already have one that I go to and I need to work on my trust in her versus somebody new. As for how to get the therapist/ trainee to the people who need it, that'd be tricky, because it's hard for people to not only admit that they need help but to actively seek it out. And, assuming this gets approval, would joinmartin and I be the ones in charge? Or would it be like a community project? These are the issues facing this great idea.


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

Ok, so how are we going about this? who's doing what? and who's in charge?


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

Drew is the administrator here. So I'm guessing that means he's primarily responsible for running this place. I'd advise dropping him a pm in regards to this thread to see what he thinks about this discussion before worrying about anything else, as I think we'd need his approval on the idea first before anything else could happen. Hope that helps!


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

it really does. Thanks! I will totally do that, black widow!


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

No probs at all Orchdorch925.  Good luck with all that! Let us know how things pan out.


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## sherbert (Jun 24, 2005)

great ideas start with a single spark! 



THIS LOOKS PROMISING!


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## orchdorch925 (Aug 26, 2010)

I did it! After like 2 weeks of avoiding it, I sucked it up and PM'd Drew about it. Now we just have to sit and wait


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## Drew (Jan 23, 2006)

As I said in the PM, thanks for contacting me and I think this is a great idea!

My concerns are similar to what others have posted in the thread:
1) How would we verify whether or not something is qualified? (whether that's having a license or in the process of working toward one)
2) How would the SAS therapist(s) communicate with people who have questions? A public forum where only they can reply to new threads? Via PM?

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!


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## Black_Widow (May 23, 2008)

Many thanks Drew for taking the time to drop in and post 

Hmm. Not too sure what to suggest on that first point. Though one thing that springs to mind is maybe it'd be worth asking the person if they'd be willing to send an online copy of their certificates, and if they'd mind letting you contact the college/university etc that awarded them to double check that the information is valid? There might be flaws in that idea that I'm not seeing. And better one's I'm not thinking of. But that's the first thing that comes to mind for me anyways.

On the second, thinking maybe it'd be worth considering giving everyone who wants to use the free service both the option of pm'ing the SAS therapist or discussing what they wish to in a public forum thread - depending on what they're more comfortable with. Some people might prefer just sticking to PM, while others might not mind discussing what they want more openly in a public forum on here, seeing as many choose not to reveal anything about their offline identies on here anyhow. Though others here might think differently to me of course!


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