What makes for a good therapist?

[Sonic_Spork]

I feel I might be getting a bit too into the weeds here...

But one other thing that a therapist (talk type, counseling) did that I didn't think was appropriate, was that she suggested a whole bunch of different herbal supplements. I don't think that she was qualified to speak to whether they were a good fit with the meds that he was on, and reading up on some of them later, some can exacerbate the condition he's been diagnosed with. I think it came from a place of good intent, just she believes strongly in this kind of thing, but it wasn't a good move.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork

I feel I might be getting a bit too into the weeds here...

But one other thing that a therapist (talk type, counseling) did that I didn't think was appropriate, was that she suggested a whole bunch of different herbal supplements. I don't think that she was qualified to speak to whether they were a good fit with the meds that he was on, and reading up on some of them later, some can exacerbate the condition he's been diagnosed with. I think it came from a place of good intent, just she believes strongly in this kind of thing, but it wasn't a good move.

Weeds is an interesting pun, since there have been reports of MJ use in adolescents being something that could be causal, or at least contra-indicated, as it relates to schizophrenia.

Herbals and Chinese meds can be controversial and sometimes harmful. The books by James Balch and Paul Pitchford are generally considered reliable guides to using various supplements and foods, although the Chinese meds take years for an apothecary to understand and use properly. The patent Chinese meds can be very effective for various ailments, but are very much a caveat emptor. Example: I keep a box of Yunnan Baiyao in my vehicle in case of accident.

My wife was a proponent of many of these herbs in personal life, but I don't recall her saying she ever recommended anything other than purchase of those books to any client who expressed interest. Her copies were delightfully densely annotated and filled with post-it notes, and the spines were broken in multiple places from use. I have various herbal teas that I've labeled with the relation to various conditions, based upon her notes of where they were useful and when they were not suitable.

More to the point, the prescribing of meds or suggesting them is always something that gets second guessed. Psychiatrists are trained in the use of many, but they make serious errors from time to time. Psychologists might have some training in a small groups of drugs and under supervision make prescriptions, but how each individual reacts, tolerates, or misuses is different, and just a fact of life.

There was a Brit show that covered historical England and the people who still keep historical crafts and trades alive. One of the shows covered a farmer whose family used to grow the licorice plant and make various sweets and medications. Licorice, as you may know, is a very powerful plant. One doctor who visited the place said "You do know that what your family made probably killed Queen Victoria?" She had been addicted to licorice sweets, that in retrospect contributed heavily to her ailments. In the present, we get to second guess. Anything you ingest, be it food, spirit, or pharmaceutical, has medical, and even psychological, implications. In a way, a restaurant menu is a drug list.