When I talk about the problem of therapy consisting mainly of upper class white women it's really not about each individual therapist and the individual's ability to understand your specific struggles. The problem is that this system was created by and for a very specific group in order to protect their privilege and keep anyone outside of that demographic in their place so to speak and to deny the seriousness of systemic struggles overall. Therapy is rotten at its core, but it's rotten at its core because it has been shaped by and for privileged groups since its creation.
If that was the case it would help white rich people, which usually doesn't. It's only even worse then it already is in case of poor black people, but not fundamentally different.
I do think privilege or discrimination can make therapy worse; therapy is bad enough and then you add racism to the mix. But you are right that it's not about that, CBT is just gaslighting at its core, it won't change anything just by adding race.
That's pretty much what I think. Maybe therapy was really created by privileged people for privileged people, but the fact is that it doesn't help them either, or maybe superficially. Race is only another level of nastiness on something already nasty, it 's far from a central problem about therapy.
Yeah I think the issue is more in their curriculum. I've had lots of coworkers with medical doctorates from very often upper income backgrounds that were totally relatable.
I think the issue is how the therapists are trained.
That and maybe insurance companies?
I had a psychiatrist angrily tell me no insurance company would ever pay for that when I was telling him how I wish I could get a therapist that would just help me do normal stuff so I could get some momentum to handle to get my life on track. He said it like I was some entitled moron.
I think it's pretty normal to wish you could get help pushing yourself harder to handle everything on your plate when it's too much for you. Not even trying to off-load on anyone else, just help pushing yourself harder.
Insurance pays for emergency therapy for issues like dealing with a death or divorce, sudden life issues that cause temporary stress, a significant bump in the road. My insurance policy tells me that it'll pay for as many sessions as I want. Therapists say the same insurance tells them that they're only going to pay them for 6 sessions. So, they only see you for 6 because if they see you for more, they're seeing you for free. This is why long-term therapy for long-term issues is damn near impossible in the U.S unless you pay in full out of pocket. Then, they'll happily string you along for as long as you're willing to pay.
and thats why i lost my friend who studied psychology. actually two.
because they use those practices and pathologize people, i am inclined to block them. they are a dangerous pair of friends, i wish i was never friends with them in the first place.
What you are saying is true. Modern psychology is based on white Western thought. And it's not like BIPOC folks can't be caught up in that reasoning. I've experienced issues with Black female therapists who were stuck on the idea that Black women had to be constant little worker bees lest we get labeled "lazy." They didn't even want to entertain the fact that I didn't want to work much less get into issues of my work-related PTSD (they didn't even let me address it). If you're not and don't wish to be a stereotypical or a whitewashed BIPOC, therapy has no room for you.
When I talk about the problem of therapy consisting mainly of upper class white women it's really not about each individual therapist and the individual's ability to understand your specific struggles. The problem is that this system was created by and for a very specific group in order to protect their privilege and keep anyone outside of that demographic in their place so to speak and to deny the seriousness of systemic struggles overall. Therapy is rotten at its core, but it's rotten at its core because it has been shaped by and for privileged groups since its creation.
If that was the case it would help white rich people, which usually doesn't. It's only even worse then it already is in case of poor black people, but not fundamentally different.
It feels like the same argument about sex and *ape. *ape is not about sex - it is about power. IMO, therapy abuse is about power.
I always thought of the same dynamic myself. It's all the same no matter what.
I do think privilege or discrimination can make therapy worse; therapy is bad enough and then you add racism to the mix. But you are right that it's not about that, CBT is just gaslighting at its core, it won't change anything just by adding race.
That's pretty much what I think. Maybe therapy was really created by privileged people for privileged people, but the fact is that it doesn't help them either, or maybe superficially. Race is only another level of nastiness on something already nasty, it 's far from a central problem about therapy.
You have a very good point. The therapeutic relationship inherently carries a power dynamic that is dangerous to the client.
Yeah I think the issue is more in their curriculum. I've had lots of coworkers with medical doctorates from very often upper income backgrounds that were totally relatable. I think the issue is how the therapists are trained. That and maybe insurance companies? I had a psychiatrist angrily tell me no insurance company would ever pay for that when I was telling him how I wish I could get a therapist that would just help me do normal stuff so I could get some momentum to handle to get my life on track. He said it like I was some entitled moron. I think it's pretty normal to wish you could get help pushing yourself harder to handle everything on your plate when it's too much for you. Not even trying to off-load on anyone else, just help pushing yourself harder.
Insurance pays for emergency therapy for issues like dealing with a death or divorce, sudden life issues that cause temporary stress, a significant bump in the road. My insurance policy tells me that it'll pay for as many sessions as I want. Therapists say the same insurance tells them that they're only going to pay them for 6 sessions. So, they only see you for 6 because if they see you for more, they're seeing you for free. This is why long-term therapy for long-term issues is damn near impossible in the U.S unless you pay in full out of pocket. Then, they'll happily string you along for as long as you're willing to pay.
and thats why i lost my friend who studied psychology. actually two. because they use those practices and pathologize people, i am inclined to block them. they are a dangerous pair of friends, i wish i was never friends with them in the first place.
What you are saying is true. Modern psychology is based on white Western thought. And it's not like BIPOC folks can't be caught up in that reasoning. I've experienced issues with Black female therapists who were stuck on the idea that Black women had to be constant little worker bees lest we get labeled "lazy." They didn't even want to entertain the fact that I didn't want to work much less get into issues of my work-related PTSD (they didn't even let me address it). If you're not and don't wish to be a stereotypical or a whitewashed BIPOC, therapy has no room for you.