In a fast and stressful lifestyle, a tête-a-tête with someone dear is therapeutic. Now replace the dear one with a professional and it becomes a regular counselling session that involves no medication. A psychotherapist helps in venting out pain, make decisions, cope with behavioural changes and also treat other mental conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and autism.
Though there is awareness among people on psychological counselling, there is a prejudice against those seeking professional help. “People need to understand that mental illness is like any other physical ailment. Also, they need to offer support, especially the family members,” says Dr BJ Prashantham, director, Institute of Human Relations, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore.
How are they different
A thin line divides psychotherapy from psychiatry and psychology. A psychiatrist is a trained doctor and has a license to prescribe medicines, while a psychologist (from a social science background) tests and analyses the medical condition. A clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist also provide evidence in the court of law. Interestingly, a psychologist or a psychiatrist may choose psychotherapy as he/ she would have some exposure in the different approaches used in the field.
Dearth of professionals
There’s a lot of demand for trained psychotherapists. “The ratio is something like that of 400 well-trained mental health workers to the country’s population of nearly 1.2 billion,” says Dr Prashantham. “The lack of trained professionals also leads to bad experience among those seeking help,” adds Kiran Rathore, professor, College of Arts and Social Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Who can become?
Students with bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology can go for research programmes in clinical psychology. “Research programmes like MPhil and PhD in clinical psychology will expose you to various concepts,” says Shanmukhi, a clinical psychologist and private practitioner, Hyderabad. There is no proper regulating body defining the required working hours or other norms to start practising as a professional. It is ideal for a beginner to register with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). “Any bad counselling is liable for a legal action from the patient. If the psychotherapist/counsellor is not registered under RCI, he/she would have to pay for the mental agony the patient underwent,” explains Shanmukhi. With proper training one can earn anywhere between `10,000-30,000 depending on where he/she’s working, says Dr Rajamohan.
Gaining experience
Gaining in-depth experience is one of the ways to avoid a lapse in therapy. Rathore says that at least six to 10 years of training under a supervisor is must, though Dr Prashantham beleives that three to five years of work under a supervisor is adequate enough for a beginner to open a counselling centre.
Most experts say that a psychotherapist must be aware of his/her skills and limitations and reflect on each and every session. Rathore says that even after you start your own practice, there should be a supervisor from whom you can seek advice. Shanmukhi adds that it is a rule if any patient/therapist becomes too personal with the other, then the patient have to seek another counsellor or the therapy must be discontinued.
Where to study
Master’s students in psychology can pursue MPhil in clinical psychology and practise. Alternatively, students who pursued psychology, economics, biology, social works and sociology in undergraduation could pursue a master’s degree in psychology and take up supervised training in institutions like National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, The Banyan, Chennai, SCARF, Chennai, and the Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore. Graduates could pursue postgraduate degree programme in counselling and psychotherapy at Institute of Psychotherapy and Management Studies, Mumbai.
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