No, I’m not quoting William Carlos Williams again.
I was just browsing the Tag Surfer. Among other things, I look to see who’s writing what about depression, anxiety, and therapy.
Sometimes people write positively about mental health professionals. Sometimes they write negatively.
It’s bewildering and frightening to think that the very thing that is supposed to be safest, most helpful, most compassionate, most respectful, and so on, can really hurt people instead.
That there are really bad therapists out there. Really bad psych wards. Bad psychiatrists. Sometimes incompetent, sometimes hateful, sometimes unmindful of any dignity in their patients.
It’s not just mental health, either. Think of the really bad teachers you’ve had or heard about. Babysitters, medical doctors, families, churches, friends — in any interactive setting people can be really awful.
Somehow you would think it would be different in interactions that are focused on something caring — like mental health, education, family, church, friendship, childcare… hmmm…
At least it should be different in interactions where people are trained in caring — like mental health, education, church, childcare…
I guess it’s just part of the reality of living after the Fall, that people’s sinfulness and separation are going to hurt in all areas of life.
Of course there are positives in all these things, too. It’s just that the negative caught my attention this evening — that there is nothing guaranteed safe, nothing immune to sin and separation.
nothing immune to sin and separation.
that’s exactly it. They’re people just like we are and it’s us the put them in categories different than we are. They take an oath, yes, but that oath is subject to their own humanity. We put them up as different, as having to control their emotions, their quarks and all that then when they fail we say, Oh but he’s a doctor he’s not suppose to do this or that. The truth is, he or she is an imperfect human first and foremost then he/she is a doctor, a teacher, a preacher or whatever. The title doesn’t erase imperfection. My last therapist is certainly an idiot and it affects his work but you won’t hear me say he should have been kinder because he’s a therapist or he should do this or that because he’s a therapist. His failings are because of his humanity, period…that goes to show you can’t teach an old jerk new tricks. No amount of schooling can teach a person to be thoughtful from the heart. No amount of schooling and no title can teach a person to always exercise kindness and self control from the heart, not when you’re getting a PhD from another human.
Austin
Comment by Austin — September 19, 2007 @ 9:22 am
Yep - as Austin said, that’s exactly it!
Education or training are never guaranteed to change the heart. They can educate the mind, but a change of heart requires that the heart changes, and on our own, we’re not capable of doing that. It is the great grace of God that we ever find compassion, love, healing in or through another person, and we need to thank Him for it whenever we find it.
Comment by Rick — September 19, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
It is the great grace of God that we ever find compassion.
that is soooo my point too. You absolutely have to have the mind of Christ to show true compassion. We are all subject to our own humanity but fortunately for us we are also all under the blood of Christ.
Austin
Comment by Austin — September 20, 2007 @ 5:45 am