In this issue
Features
Working on the edge:听supporting aid workers听(free article)
Fiona Dunkley reports on听how InterHealth Worldwide听supports aid workers who听respond to international crises.
鈥榊ou don鈥檛 talk your听business to people鈥�
Helen George explores the听barriers that prevent African听Caribbean older women听from seeking counselling.
The NHS in 2015
Gillian Proctor reflects on听how the NHS has changed听since 2002.
Retirement 鈥� a tale听of attachment and loss
Anne Power outlines the听dilemmas for therapists听considering retirement.
When supervision听goes wrong
Els van Ooijen considers what听can go wrong if supervisors听are not adequately prepared听for the role.
Regulars
Your views听
Andrew Samuels: A new therapy for politics
Mike Ellen: Schools need mental health education
How I became a therapist
Susan Utting-Simon
Dilemmas
Maintaining boundaries in couple work
From the chair
Andrew Reeves: When it comes to mental health the obvious is missed time and time again
A pdf of this issue is available in the听Therapy Today archive
Editorial: Cultural barriers to counselling
The issue of hard-to-reach groups is听an ongoing challenge for mental health听services. Research shows that black,听Asian, minority ethnic and older people听are among the groups least likely to access听counselling services. Helen George听carried out research looking at what听prevents older African Caribbean women听from seeking help with mental health听problems. Her findings make interesting听reading. Culturally, opening up and听talking about personal problems is not the听norm amongst African Caribbean women.听Their coping mechanisms are more likely听to be their faith and drawing strength听from being part of their community.
One thing that particularly struck me听was that participants felt the tough lives听they had led 鈥� coming over to the UK,听bringing children from the West Indies,听finding work, often doing several menial听jobs, enduring racism 鈥� had created听resilience: 鈥楾hat was a real test in life鈥︹�櫶齭aid one interviewee. 鈥楴ow they gonna听look in your face and tell you that they听don鈥檛 want no counselling because they听have gone through all that without any听help.鈥� Another interviewee cited racism听as a reason for not being offered support.听Helen works for an IAPT service,听which she says has made great efforts听to reach out to this group, but this sort听of awareness building, she argues, needs听to happen throughout the profession.
In 2002 Gillian Proctor wrote an听article for the 香港六合彩精准资料 Healthcare journal听in which she imagined the history of听the NHS from 1985 to 2015. In this issue听she considers the extent to which her听predictions 鈥� for what is essentially听the ongoing privatisation of the NHS 鈥撎齢ave come true and forecasts further听developments for the future. In 2002听Gillian described the 鈥榚fficiency鈥� and听鈥榓ccountability鈥� discourses which have听led to the reduction of resources 鈥� so听that cheapest is usually best 鈥� and the听鈥榠ndustry of regulating bodies鈥� that we听recognise in the NHS today. The effect听of all this on mental healthcare has听of course been profound. Her hope听is that, despite now having to operate听in a 鈥榲alue-free technological-based听healthcare鈥�, the values of counsellors听and psychotherapists will continue to听have an impact on individual clients.
Sarah Browne
Editor