Quote:
Originally Posted by amandalouise
if you were here in america neither treatment provider would have been considered unethical nor over reacting. this is because here in america we have the freedom to choose our own treatment providers, decide for ourselves whether that treatment provider can help us with our problems, and ask for a referal if we think a treatment provider is not qualified. treatment providers in america are not .....required..... to refer a patient on to other treatment providers but most do recognize the need to have a patient see a specialist when needed... aka if a patient has a problem with depression, or what ever the primary care physician can either treat them their self or refer that patent to a mental health agency or a specialist.
here in america mental health agencies generally are able to treat all mental disorders
recognized in the DSM 5, though some patients/clients ask for a specialist and the therapist or psychiatrist can if they wish refer them to someone else. because they want to not because they have to due to law or
ethics. I mean treatment providers dont force their clients to stay in treatment with them if they dont want to here in america. its just how our freedoms to health care works. everyone gets to choose who they want to be in treatment with.
but your profile says you are in the UK so in order to get your answers according to the UK
standards you will need to contact your locations governing agency that over sees what the mental health ethics laws are where you are located.
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The OPs T would have been ethically required, not legally required, to refer her to someone else who has expertise in EDs. It is the therapist's obligation to work in the best interest of the client and to provide the best care possible. If they can't, ethical guidelines require the refer the client to another, more qualified T. The OP said that she her weight was low enough to cause hair loss and she wasn't menstruating, so this is serious.
There is no specialized training to work with someone with an eating disorder, but clinicians gain expertise through hours of experience. You can say you counsel people on the Autism spectrum, and you don't need special certifications to do so, but most would agree people on the spectrum will benefit most from a T with a lot of experience and knowledge. And it sounds to me from the OPs post that this is a significant issue that needs prompt attention (hair loss and missed periods are signs that her body is suffering). Of can you have the right choose your own treatment, but it also sounds like the OP wanted more direct help than she was getting.