Posted by coral on May 14, 2001, at 9:19:05
In reply to Re: Have most therapists been depressed themselves?, posted by robinibor on May 14, 2001, at 8:37:54
Following the implied logic, does that mean an endocrinologist has to have diabetes to effectively treat it? I can see the "ideal" as assuming that someone who has suffered from and conquered a disorder would make a better therapist, but I'm not sure it holds up. Think of schizophrenia or sociopathology.
From my perspective, people who have experienced or are experiencing a disorder can provide sympathy, but not always empathy. In my experience, the worst advice I ever got was from a lay group on anxiety/panic attacks. Every one of them was a sufferer and that colored their advice so heavily that it wasn't of value to me. Let me stress of value to me. I'm sure others have received great help from self-help groups, but in this particular case, it wasn't so for me.
poster:coral
thread:5977
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010511/msgs/5993.html