Counselling Failure

If you eat poisoned horse meat the NHS will treat you.  They will attempt to cure you and make you better.  Why?  Well that is a bigger question than it may appear on the surface but the perceived wisdom is because collectively we want to help people.  As the years go by and the scientific model of physical medicine encounters more and more borderline cases and more complex causes the world of mental health emerges.  It is one thing calling it mental health but eventually they will realise there is a deeper issue and that is of emotional health.  They are getting there but they really are taking their time.  A doctor once said to me that all ailments have a psychological aspect to them.  It is quite amazing since that very doctor completely dismissed psychological ailments as if they were 'all in the mind'.  How inconsistent is that?  But there is some value to the idea that there is a psychological aspect to physical diseases and as time goes on it is being recognised more and more.  We can't really separate our physical and psychological aspects.  And we can't separate our emotional aspect either.

There are many who feel that it all starts with emotions.  They are the instigators of the psyche.  It is what the stuff of emotions do that form, eventually, into our 'conscious' interpretation of our world and our 'thoughts'.  Of course there are physical changes in our bodies which we experience as emotions and to some extent if they do their stuff our versatile and 'learning' bodies comprehend our environment and can usefully adapt and learn how better to survive in this very changeable environment.  But if they cannot process correctly the changes reside in the framework of the body and pervert it.  Hence we find 'bottled up' emotions cause physiological problems ranging from skin rashes to reduced resistance to cancer and higher risk of stomach ulcers and heart failure.  These misdirected fluctuations also lead to psychological problems like bipolar disorder, paranoia, schizophrenia and post traumatic stress syndrome.

So, as the NHS accepts, effectively dealing with emotional problems has a desirable therapeutic effect.  Not only does it help people 'get better' but it also prevents more costly and devastating psychological and physical ailments.  So the NHS invests money in counselling services.  Counselling is a much more important function in my opinion than most counsellors realise.  The public perception, and that of many counsellors, seems to be that counselling is a luxury.  It is perhaps because it is a relatively new subject in the health arena.  But counselling, in one form or another, has been around for a long time and in many cultures.  It is like gymnasiums in that it can keep people well before they 'need' invasive therapy.  There is always the possibility that the pharmaceuticals don't like it for that very reason - it reduces the need for their remedial drugs.

So there is me being a very strong and obstinate and coping with years of difficulties and abuse and trying to prevent my mental health and physical health from collapsing.  I think I am maintaining my psychological health but I am losing the battle with my physical health as bit by bit my physiological systems are coming under strain and collapsing and giving way.  So I attempt to get some counselling from the NHS.  I get to see a counsellor and he decides, after only ten one hour sessions, that he is fed up and wants to leave Britain and sail his yacht round the Pacific Ocean.  He leaves and no one from the counselling department contacts me so I go to see my doctor and request a continuation of this counselling.  I get a copy of the letter from the counselling department to my doctor...

(The names have been altered to protect the guilty.)

Dear Doctor Narrowstrath

Thank you for your referral of the above gentleman.

We note however that Mr Spruce was only recently discharged on 19th December 2012 following a course of 10 sessions of Interpersonal Therapy with Seaman Staines Community Mental Health Nurse and Interpersonal Therapist.

Given the recent nature of this treatment we would therefore recommend that Mr Spruce utilises a therapeutic break from therapy to reflect on previous treatment, consolidating the therapy and applying the principles learned as it is too soon after the conclusion of this therapy for further treatment to be considered at this time.

We have a policy in place that suggests a client needs a minimum of 6 months after a period of therapy before a re-referral will be considered so we will therefore not be processing your referral further at this time.  If however, Mr Spruce continues to experience difficulties we would be happy to accept a referral back to us after a period of 6 months.

Many thanks

Yours sincerely Kirkespir Snakker

Well that struck me as bureaucratically pretentious and a pile of hogwash so I replied...

Dear Kirkespir

Thank you for your effulgent response to Dr Narrowstrath

Your pericombobulatory literary peregrinations were exegetically hermeneutic.  I was  flabbergasted by the euphuistic rhetoric and astonished by the euphemistic obfuscation of your elucidation.

I pondered the humorously sanctimonious prejudice in your authoritarian procrastinations and concluded that R D Laing's comment that insanity is a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world may be an eloquent exposition of this situation.

Your bureaucratic collusions inherently preclude the efficacy of your therapeutic proclamations.  Therefore I have no choice but to take a 'therapeutic break' to reflect and consolidate the principles clearly not learned at the hands of one very nice Seaman Staines.

Hurrah and great cheer to you all.

Sam Spruce

Well what else can one say to brain dead automatons?