Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahSweden
Itīs partly true but the chance is very small to get into therapy through the public health care system unless you have severe conditions and diagnoses.
Itīs perhaps some differences between the US and Sweden. Here most people can afford the health insurance itself but when you want to use it for paying therapy sessions, the insurances are very limited.
The unethical side of this matter is that any therapist with some experience knows about the fact that 10 times of therapy wonīt be enough in many cases. That itīs enough in some cases doesnīt make it less unethical in my view.
My point is still that even if the therapy had some positive effects, and also so in my case, you let the client "out in the street" and being aware of the risk of that already before you start working with the client.
As all therapists work for the well-being of their clients I think none of them should take clients into their therapy room unless the insurance conditions tell them they can bill the insurance company as long as the clients need. Not setting up financial boundaries at first, in the therapists case agreeing to them, and then donīt care what happens to the client afterwards.
In my case I feel that even if the therapy also did me some good, the anxiety to be left without having a complete treatment is just causing my damage. In a vulnerable state you have to fight to get care somewhere else, not being sure youīll get it. From the unfinished therapy you have to deal with emotional wounds, memories that were brought up but not completely dealt with and so on. Why start something you canīt finish when it comes to peoplesī health? Thatīs to me unethical for sure.
I donīt know if there are pro bono cases in Sweden but I assume the therapist have told me that would be an option if it was. I think asking for free sessions would be like telling her I donīt have respect for her or her occupation
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Hej Sarah!
This is very interesting to me - I had never heard of anybody here in Sweden taking out healthcare insurance, other than for special assistance needs and perhaps medication. Now I googled it and I see that it does exist, but it appears to work a bit differently from the insurance that they have in the US. In any case, depending on where you live, it doesn't have to be difficult to get psychotherapy through the system. I get an unlimited number of therapy sessions, from a therapist in private practice who has an agreement with the county and is paid by them - I only have to pay up to the maximum yearly fee for health care (SEK 1100 in my county) which is about four sessions, and then it's all paid by taxes. If you go to the website for your county council (landsting) there will be information about private practitioners who are paid by the county (I think the phrase you need to look for is "samverkansavtal med landstinget".) I didn't even need a referral.
I really do think that offering a limited number of sessions is slightly unethical. I know that the psychologists who are employed directly by the county are often limited to 20 sessions or something like that. For some people that would be enough, but for others it wouldn't. Me, I've been seeing my therapist twice a week for two years and there's no end in sight yet.
Finally, if you are looking for a sliding scale, I know that St Lukasstiftelsen offers that, though I don't know what their fee scale is. It might be worth contacting them to find out - I do know that they have branches all around the country.