One of the many woes of a psychologist is the ethical responsibility of confidentiality. Even though, I am protecting my client's identity on my posts, I still am uncomfortable at the thought of a client reading my blog and realizing its about him/her.
Therefore, this blog is going private on MARCH 20, 2008!
Those who want to continue reading this blog, please send me your email addresses.
Thanks!!
Solitaire
Is it ok to publish your email addresses in the comments section?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Appreciation
One of the many woes of a psychologist is the "lack of appreciation".
Granted that we are in a "non-profit" industry, sometimes barely making enough to make ends meet (contrary to popular belief that psychologists mint money). But sometimes, when we come home from a long day, listening to people's messed-up life stories, their pain, their losses, their insecurities, their frustrations, we need someone to tell us,
This message sometimes takes days, more often, months to come to me. The biggest reinforcement for a psychologist comes from the fact that their patient visibly looks different, expresses greater satisfaction with life, and is able to deal with daily stressors without any assistance after having expressed at some point that life is not worth living amidst tears.
It helps when someone appreciates your hard work and the efforts you put in bringing your patient to that point in their life. It also helps when people do not criticize you for being a psychologist and avoid you like plaque for fear that you will analyze their life story to shreds. This appreciation has come to me through this blog.
You say thank you for writing this blog and giving you a perspective that you did not give close attention to in the past. I say thank you for giving me the appreciation that boosts me to work harder in this industry. We share a symbiotic relationship.
A special thanks to Keshi who announced her appreciation (and almost got me out of business through the first part of her post) on her blog. Good things come in small packages, I guess. And when unexpected, they create joy which know no bounds.
Thank you all!!!!
Granted that we are in a "non-profit" industry, sometimes barely making enough to make ends meet (contrary to popular belief that psychologists mint money). But sometimes, when we come home from a long day, listening to people's messed-up life stories, their pain, their losses, their insecurities, their frustrations, we need someone to tell us,
"You did a good job".
I get this message from my client when he or she says,
"I think I am feeling much better now and do not need to come in anymore."
This message sometimes takes days, more often, months to come to me. The biggest reinforcement for a psychologist comes from the fact that their patient visibly looks different, expresses greater satisfaction with life, and is able to deal with daily stressors without any assistance after having expressed at some point that life is not worth living amidst tears.
It helps when someone appreciates your hard work and the efforts you put in bringing your patient to that point in their life. It also helps when people do not criticize you for being a psychologist and avoid you like plaque for fear that you will analyze their life story to shreds. This appreciation has come to me through this blog.
You say thank you for writing this blog and giving you a perspective that you did not give close attention to in the past. I say thank you for giving me the appreciation that boosts me to work harder in this industry. We share a symbiotic relationship.
A special thanks to Keshi who announced her appreciation (and almost got me out of business through the first part of her post) on her blog. Good things come in small packages, I guess. And when unexpected, they create joy which know no bounds.
Thank you all!!!!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
All Day Long...
"Don't you go crazy listening to people's problems all day long?"
I get this question all the time.
In the beginning, my answer was yes. I constantly worried about my clients after I had gone home. And I would constantly dread seeing them again because I was sure that my mind would shut down the moment they started talking about their abusive husband, spoilt children, unfair teachers, disloyal friend, and their singlehood. That was the beginning.
Gradually, I learned how to zone them out the moment they stepped out of the office. In fact, I also used to tell my friend jokingly, "I work in a factory!" because I felt like I was producing a new item every hour, one after the other, relentlessly, without any breaks, as clients walked in on time and stepped out exactly 5o minutes later, giving me enough time to write up a progress note and briefly glance over the next person's file.
The problem begins when I drag myself home exhausted and then start getting calls, "I need to talk to you urgently. I had a fight with my boyfriend." or an offliner on yahoo saying, ":( I need free therapy", or worse still, a long email which can be made into a book chapter about how heartbroken my friend is. These are the things that I have not learned to zone out from. Because no matter what, there are more emotions attached when a loved one or a friend is in distress. But when these distresses clearly become a figment of their imagination because free psychotherapy is easily available (long after the problem has been resolved), my emotions change from genuine concern to nonchalance, and ultimately, annoyance.
So how do I do it all day long? The 9 am to 5 pm is the easiest part. It is the rest of the day that becomes challenging. After all, who likes working overtime without being paid or without any appreciation or without getting a break?
P.S: Now I know why I should not call a doctor friend after hours if something can wait until next morning.
And now I understand why my uncle who worked as an engineer in the electricity company hated getting complaints in the middle of the night.
I get this question all the time.
In the beginning, my answer was yes. I constantly worried about my clients after I had gone home. And I would constantly dread seeing them again because I was sure that my mind would shut down the moment they started talking about their abusive husband, spoilt children, unfair teachers, disloyal friend, and their singlehood. That was the beginning.
Gradually, I learned how to zone them out the moment they stepped out of the office. In fact, I also used to tell my friend jokingly, "I work in a factory!" because I felt like I was producing a new item every hour, one after the other, relentlessly, without any breaks, as clients walked in on time and stepped out exactly 5o minutes later, giving me enough time to write up a progress note and briefly glance over the next person's file.
The problem begins when I drag myself home exhausted and then start getting calls, "I need to talk to you urgently. I had a fight with my boyfriend." or an offliner on yahoo saying, ":( I need free therapy", or worse still, a long email which can be made into a book chapter about how heartbroken my friend is. These are the things that I have not learned to zone out from. Because no matter what, there are more emotions attached when a loved one or a friend is in distress. But when these distresses clearly become a figment of their imagination because free psychotherapy is easily available (long after the problem has been resolved), my emotions change from genuine concern to nonchalance, and ultimately, annoyance.
So how do I do it all day long? The 9 am to 5 pm is the easiest part. It is the rest of the day that becomes challenging. After all, who likes working overtime without being paid or without any appreciation or without getting a break?
P.S: Now I know why I should not call a doctor friend after hours if something can wait until next morning.
And now I understand why my uncle who worked as an engineer in the electricity company hated getting complaints in the middle of the night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
