Quote:
Originally Posted by bigblackdog
More of them than you know do have personal experience with mental illness. My therapist does regular sessions with a colleague just to be able to manage hearing all the things he hears and he offers the same to others as a professional courtesy. It's the wounded healer archetype.
Many people with MH issues enter the field because of their own struggles. 1 in 10 Americans develop MH issues in any year....and that means that 1 in 10 MH pros do too.
Touching someone's trauma just happens in the course of trying to heal and help someone. Doesn't feel good. Recently had an appt with DH and Pdoc and between them I think they hit every single trigger I have. I was also meds unstable at the time, so it did not take much.
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I understand that a person with mental health issues can empathize better but it is not always the best career choice. It completely depends on what mental health disorder the employee has naturally. Or if that disorder was temporary and curable. Not many mental diagnosis fall under that category. I have 2 friends who work in the mental health system and have mental problems. Actually, the worst damage was done to my friends because they had no ability to separate from the job due to their strong empathy. Both of them are unemployed and unhealthy.
Personally, I don't want a person who has mental issues guiding me with my care.
I have been down that road in drug rehab. A huge amount of addicts in recovery want to help other addicts which is good and caring in theory. In my case I became romantically involved with my counselor and they actually brought drugs and alcohol into the relationship. Come to find out this person was falsely claiming to have 10 years sober.
There are counselors who because of their employment feel the need to hide a relapse or mental health symptoms.
tnt
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