We often have clients who have been in therapy in the regular mental health system and are not happy with the support they received. In addition, there have been a lot of financial cuts in the mental health care, meaning that there is a reduced amount of help available and longer waiting lists. These are some of the reason why more and more people are looking for support from an independent complementary therapist.
People who received therapy tell us that they did not feel as though they were treated as a unique person, that they merely received advise that they already knew, that they did not receive real therapy, that they were not asked about their personal experiences, that the therapist was only following a ready-made questionnaire and ticking boxes and had no space for their individuality and that they were rejected if they did not want to take medicines. People want to be seen as unique individuals and to receive treatment that suits their own particular needs. There are certainly many people who have been helped and do not seek for further help elsewhere, but also a lot of people who do not seek further help because they think that this is as good as it gets.
While I accept that it is not possible for everyone to lead a normal life without medicines after experiencing psychosis or a heavy depression or trauma, I do believe that people have to receive support and guidance to get to the roots of their problem and to recover in a natural way. The wide experience I have had with people in acute psychosis during in-patient or polyclinic treatments helps me to evaluate a client’s situation with the understanding that therapy can bring about change – also after a diagnosis such as psychosis, personality disorder, anxiety disorder or depression.