A case for regulation of #mentalhealth in India
I got into a discussion with some counsellor colleagues about how suddenly everyone is a 'counsellor', on the back of this article in ThePrint : https://theprint.in/ground-reports/everyones-a-therapist-in-india-influencers-dentists-homeopaths-its-the-new-epidemic/1655337/. With #GenerativeAI making great strides in changing the way we work, on the face of it, all it would take would be ‘ChatGPT’ the issue and get on with doling out ‘therapy’. This is akin to people wanting to do PR because they ‘like interacting with people’!
Just a couple of months ago, I met someone who had become a ‘therapist’ because over the years, all her son’s friends would come to her with their problems, and she would ‘sort’ them out. This, somehow, encouraged her to become a professional therapist, even though she did not have any specific training.?
Nice looking apps with free chats are literally a dime a dozen now – typically, a techie looking to make the most of a ‘trend’.?Not to mention social media influencers who make the most of their large followings by doling out ‘advice’ on matters that could create more trouble than make progress.?While the advice in itself may be sound, context is extremely important.
Is it so simple? On the one hand, yes, it is simple enough to get all the information there is to be had on a variety of topics. You can go as far and as wide as you wish. However, what enables you to consider the very specific need of your client? Did her eyes well up with tears when she talked about being a strong person, or was she unable to make eye contact when she talked about the traumatic incidents of bullying in college? What makes us counsellors and therapists is not so much our ability to ‘diagnose’ the problem. Rather, it is to be able to apply our understanding of the theories of psychology in a specific context to support a specific need.?
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Regulation and certification must be the baseline when it comes to professionals and organisations managing mental health issues, much like in other professions. With more and more people becoming aware of their need for mental health support - and taking steps to meet this need - practitioners of counselling and therapy must have a central body that certifies our degrees and gives us the green signal to go ahead with setting up a practice. There need to be rules for training organisations and apps, as well. A great-looking app does not a counsellor make!
It's time for the great need for emotional support to be met by people qualified to do this work, else we could be doing those who seek support a disservice.
Public Relations Consultant, UN Women Speaker & Go-Getter Innovative Strategist
1 年Yesterday, I was reading about the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's launch of the national mental health survey. The survey pointed out the considerable burden of mental health problems in India, with around 150 million people needing mental health care services, but only about 30 million seeking care.
Corporate Communications | Public Relations | Diversity & Inclusion | Visiting PR Faculty | Chevening Scholar
1 年I think both training and certification need to be reassessed. There’s too much of certification being doled out as well without the rigour and training therapists need to qualify
Pioneering Behavioural Health Innovation at Thrive Cafe | Transforming Self-Care Through Human-tech
1 年Agree completely, certification to ensure a standard of care is necessary
Founder, Seed TLC; Transactional Analysis Training
1 年Thanks for sharing Archana!
LinkedIn Top Training & Development (HR) Voice | Empowering L&D and HR Leaders to achieve Maximum Business Impact & ROI | Multiple International Award-Winning?L&D?Coach | Global Speaker
1 年Spot On Archana Muthappa Without regulation the quality of support provided could drop and lead to aversion towards seeking support. In current times when taking away the stigma from mental health is important, unavailability of quality support will only lead to additional challenges.