Image Not Found On Media Library

River Street, Blue Building
5690-970 New York City

GET CONNECTED
INSTAGRAM FEED
Instagram connection not available.
TOOLKIT
Image Not Found On Media Library

Type and hit ENTER
Hi Mark, Do you have an email list you can subscribe to? Thanks for all of the great content. AUTHOR: John AUTHOR EMAIL: johnmchenry4@gmail.com AUTHOR URL: SUBJECT: markfreeman.ca Contact Form IP: 98.122.164.68 Array ( [1_Name] => John [2_Email] => johnmchenry4@gmail.com [3_Message] => Hi Mark, Do you have an email list you can subscribe to? Thanks for all of the great content. [entry_title] => Contact [entry_permalink] => https://www.markfreeman.ca/contact/ [feedback_id] => 2ac250ef4cfa0b349ab4329506168cf1 )
Image Not Found On Media Library
  • Coaching
  • Keynotes
  • Journal
  • Books
  • Contact
GET CONNECTED
  • Home
  • Journal
  • Coaching
  • Keynotes
  • Books
  • Brain School
  • Contact
Mental Health Care, Personal, System Transformation

So you want to work in mental health…

April 8, 2017
-
Posted by Mark

I was part of a panel discussion at the University of Toronto recently on community engagement work in the mental health sector. It was exciting to see so many people interested in working in mental health. The questions and comments from the audience made it clear that they understood the need for patient-centered innovation and they wanted to create change in the sector. But with innovation, there’s turmoil, in any industry. So here are five things to consider if you’re looking at a career in mental health as the sector undergoes transformation:

  1. Get comfortable with technology and design skills.

    Most mental health jobs that you know of will be eliminated by technology in the near future. Self-directed, digital therapy tools are improving–they’re much easier to scale up consistently, test, and redesign for effectiveness than a human therapist. Digital tools also empower patients to get help when they need it, at a fraction of the cost of seeing a therapist that only has limited availability, likely only when the patient needs to be working or at school. Digital tools increase accessibility. Do you really want patients out of work, kicking their heels for six months on a waitlist, their mental health progressively worsening, just so they can sit across from you while you try to read their mind and get them out the door as quickly as possible because your day is already crammed with patients and paperwork? No. Learn how to code. Solve the Counselor Troi Problem.

    Men's Ward, Goodna Mental Hospital, Queensland, Australia, 1950. Wikicommons.

    Men’s Ward, Goodna Mental Hospital, Queensland, Australia, 1950. Wikicommons.

  2. Don’t deliver any product or service that you would not tolerate as a customer in any other industry.

    In the mental health sector, the level of customer service, along with the quality and efficacy of the services being delivered, have been of such poor quality for so long that it’s very easy for somebody to shrug their shoulders and say, “that sucks but that’s just the way it is.” We expect something only slightly better than Bedlam. Don’t tolerate that, on any level. If you go into work somewhere and it’s all shiny and new and everybody is nice but they have a nine month wait-list, that’s not acceptable. That’s a design failure. Think of your expectations in a restaurant or with a smart phone. Those experiences are designed around your needs. Any company that fails to design around your needs, fails. Most people in North America waiting for mental health services are waiting for failed services. We have to start designing mental health services around the needs of patients.

    Detail from an asylum's Medical Visitation Book, 1880. Wellcome Library.

    Detail from an asylum’s Medical Visitation Book, 1880. Wellcome Library.

  3. Nobody is non-compliant.

    If somebody drops out of therapy because it’s difficult, that’s a design and delivery failure. It’s not the patient’s problem. If you walk out of a restaurant because the menu is difficult to understand, the waiter tells you to cook your own appetizer, and the dining room has complex rules you can’t follow, the restaurant is welcome to label you as “non-compliant” all they want, but the reality is it’s just a bad restaurant. Behavioral therapies like Exposure & Response Prevention, Dialectal Behavior Therapy, or Acceptance & Commitment Therapy are incredibly effective IF the patient completes the course of treatment. We have very sound, well-researched therapies that can completely change a person’s life, but the real challenge is helping a patient navigate that therapy within the complex context of their everyday lives. It’s those external complexities that will make a person stop therapy, so how will you help your clients navigate those challenges?

    Bergonic Chair for administering electric shocks to patients. Wikicommons.

    Bergonic Chair for administering electric shocks to patients. Wikicommons.

  4. Be awesome at change in your own life.

    The journey of recovery from a mental illness is about complex change. It’s about a person having experiences, internally and externally, that they’ve never had before, experiences they’ve likely invested significant amounts of time and energy in trying to avoid. Quite often, that’s because they believe those experiences will cause harm to themselves or others. How will you help people handle those terrifying experiences and make sustainable changes in their lives if you can’t even stick with the simplest new year’s resolution? If you can’t stop procrastinating on Facebook long enough to finish a paper for class, how will you help somebody stop compulsively showing up at the ER and demanding tests because they believe they’re dying? If you were going to the gym to get into better physical shape, you’d expect your personal trainer to be in better shape than you. You’d expect them to know how to maintain a much higher level of fitness than yours. Mental health patients should expect nothing less. You can only share tools that you actually know how to use.

    Detail of the chapter index from "Lunacy Practice: A Practical Guide for the Certification and Detention of Persons of Unsound Mind" by William H. Gattie - Wellcome Library

    Detail of the chapter index from “Lunacy Practice: A Practical Guide for the Certification and Detention of Persons of Unsound Mind” by William H. Gattie, 1905. Wellcome Library.

  5. Go into mental health work because you’re skilled at it.

    When you go to a restaurant, you probably want the chef to be skilled at cooking. You don’t care how much they want to cook for people. It’s about skill. If you want to get into the mental healthcare system because you want to help people, that’s fine, but have some respect for your patients. They can’t do anything with your desire to help. They need your skill. Sharing mental health tools for recovery with someone is like serving the most important, life-saving meal you’ll ever cook. So you’d better fucking know how to cook it. Take that skill seriously. Learn. Keep developing your skills. Track the efficacy of your work. Be honest about your shortcomings–again, if you can’t do that, how will you help your patients be self-reflective and honest? Develop the skills to make help accessible in ways that meet the needs of your patients. If your patients want videos, you need to learn how to make videos. If research shows the type of therapy you’re most comfortable providing is less effective than another type of therapy that you find challenging to deliver, get ready to get challenged. Keep growing your skills in your own life so you have even more tools to share.

    Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) - Wikicommons

    Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam), England. Wikicommons.

  6. And one more thing…

    You probably noticed the archival images. Learn more about the history of psychiatry. Keep in mind the origins of this industry. It has a well-documented history of abuse, torture, sexism, racism, homophobia, and every other kind of oppression you can think of. Many would argue that legacy is alive and well. People still go through the mental healthcare system and then join support groups for “psychiatric survivors”. That’s not referring to surviving the illness. The term refers to surviving psychiatric “care”. 

    You can have a major impact on somebody’s life through your work in mental health. Strive to make that impact a positive one.

Related News

Other posts that you should not miss.
Mental Health Care, Workshops

5 Tips for Taking Mental Health Workshops Online

June 20, 2019
-
Posted by Mark

I’ve been facilitating workshops for years, in mental health and business strategy. Adapting design thinking exercises to …

Read More
June 20, 2019
Posted by Mark
Personal

Five big take-aways from MedX 2015

October 13, 2015
-
Posted by Mark

Stanford’s Medicine X conference was definitely the best health-related event of any kind I’ve ever attended. Launched by Dr. …

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Read More
October 13, 2015
Posted by Mark
Events, System Transformation

Life after recovery

November 19, 2020
-
Posted by Mark

I always enjoy collaborating with OCD UK because they have such a helpful focus on recovery and …

Read More
November 19, 2020
Posted by Mark
← PREVIOUS POST
The Newest Spot
NEXT POST →
Strategy workshop in Indonesia on evidence-based public policy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ABOUT ME
Author. Coach. Facilitator. CEO at TOOLKIT. I create tools that help people make and sustain difficult changes.
TOOLKIT HQ

And this is a good mug. Click the image to grab yours from the Toolkit Store. FREE SHIPPING through the holidays. I can verify that it does an exceptional job at hold coffee, tea, Red Bull, water, and kombucha. Goes excellent with cookies and donuts (sold separately).

SEARCH
FOLLOW ALONG
RECENT POSTS
  • Online Mental Health Writing Workshop
    January 11, 2021

    I’m teaching another round of my writing workshop! The Write Your Brain mental …

  • Life after recovery
    November 19, 2020

    I always enjoy collaborating with OCD UK because they have such a helpful …

  • The Tune-Up on Twitch – Mental Health Recovery Q&A
    October 10, 2020

    Bring your brain by the Toolkit Shop for the Tune-Up twice each month …

  • What is quality treatment for OCD and Anxiety Disorders?
    March 10, 2020

    One of the reasons I originally started to share about mental health and …

  • 5 Tips for Taking Mental Health Workshops Online
    June 20, 2019

    I’ve been facilitating workshops for years, in mental health and business strategy. Adapting …

POPULAR TAGS
recovery
OCD
anxiety
mental health
video
Acceptance
compulsions
therapy
mental illness
change
psychology
skills
fear
systems thinking
mindfulness
treatment
workshop
Everybody has a Brain
practice
meditation
design thinking
work
intrusive thoughts
travel
blogging
Vintage
Trends
Shopping
Party
Music
Social
LifeStyle
Kids
Family
CBT
stigma
Love
Exposure & Response Prevention
ACT
health
mental health at work
goals
lived experience
peer support
interview
Knives out. Dice up a recovery salad. #mentalhea Knives out. Dice up a recovery salad. 

#mentalhealth #tweet #recovery #knives #anxiety #psychology #therapy #mindfulness #cooking #mentalhealthawareness #recoveryispossible #contamination #OCD #health #recoveryquotes
You don't have to listen to your brain's reasons! You don't have to listen to your brain's reasons! This isn't different. You know it was going to pull this trick. Where do you want to go? What do you want to give your time and energy to?

#mindfulness #recovery #mentalhealthquote #mentalfitness #stress #reasons #thinking #psychology #addiction #anxiety #fear #control #compulsions #habits
This also applies if it did happen. You can do stu This also applies if it did happen. You can do stuff differently up there!

#thinking #ruminating #brain #mindfulness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthnotes #quote #reminder #psychology #therapy #recovery #cognitive #acceptance #fear #anxiety #control #writing #brain #writersofinstagram
From last night's Twitch stream exploring examples From last night's Twitch stream exploring examples of Exposure Therapy vs ERP vs ACT. No actual cookies were harmed in the making of this theoretical example. Obviously, in reality, you would gather up every crumb of that cookie and eat it (while contacting the closeness of death and the wonders of life in that moment).

#mindfulness #ERP #ACT #recovery #therapy #psychology #science #cookies #Twitch #acceptance #death #stoicism #reality #life #mentalfitness #fear #anxiety
Don't turn into a ruminating centipede. It'll feel Don't turn into a ruminating centipede. It'll feel like you're going somewhere. If you just think a little more about it, you'll finally solve it! But not really...

Illustration by @pupik.love

#ruminating #illustration #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #thinking #mindful #mindfulness #happiness #psychology #therapy #mentalhealthart
Don't get stuck on the smelly pile of crap this we Don't get stuck on the smelly pile of crap this week. Yes, it smells. Yes, it's a crap disorder. Yes, you hate it and want to chase solutions to make it go away. But focus on changing the big systems producing the pile of crap symptoms you hate. What's feeding that system?

#mentalfitness #mentalhealth #Twitch #psychology #recovery #anxiety #intrusivethoughts #fear #depression #diagram  #mentalhealthnotes #science #TOOLKIT
Closure smosure. We have experiences that are pain Closure smosure. We have experiences that are painful. We can touch that pain, be honest about it. It can be painful and we can do things in the present that matter to us. It can be painful and we can make choices in the present that align with what we value, that create and build the things we want to see in the world.

#recovery #regret #fear #pain #mentalhealthnotes #mentalhealth #psychology #mindfulness #emotions #community #closure #falsememory #guilt
You still trying to avoid human experiences? How's You still trying to avoid human experiences? How's that working out for you?

#recovery #psychology #mentalhealth #therapy #mentalhealthquotes #ocd #pureo #fear #phobia #erp #mindfulness #mentalfitness #mentalhealthmatters
All of the stuff you're doing in your head: that's All of the stuff you're doing in your head: that's practice. Whatever you're doing up there, you're getting skilled at that. What do you want to get skilled at today?

#mindfulness #recovery #mentalhealthnotes #mentalfitness #practice #judgment #nonjudgment #psychology #fitness #skill #focus #goals
You don't wait to feel strong before lifting weigh You don't wait to feel strong before lifting weights. The strength comes after, and even then, you'll just keep on pursuing more exercises that make you feel weak, that make you sweat and gasp for breath. You go towards the difficult experience. You fuel that and support that. So why would you take the opposite approach with emotions?

#mentalfitness #emotions #mentalhealthnotes #psychology #sweat #fitness #recovery #weightlifting #failure #success #anxiety #socialanxiety #fear #depression #love #guilt #mindfulness
If I’m trying to be optimistic that good things If I’m trying to be optimistic that good things will happen, I’ve actually thrown away any power I have. I’ll need things I don’t control to magically turn out in my favor. It’s a lottery mentality.

So I bring power back to me. I’m optimistic that I will learn and build skills to handle the dumpster fire in a shit storm that is this world. I will practice skills and nourish my needs so I’m prepared for whatever happens. I want challenging situations that don’t go “right” so I can learn to handle them. I’m optimistic about my capacity to try new things, to discover limits, to enforce boundaries, and make difficult changes that help me thrive in any situation.

#mentalhealth #happiness #optimism #positivethinking #lawofattraction #recovery #fear #anxiety #mentalhealthquotes #psychology #goals #fitness #sweat #challenges #life #reminder #mentalfitness
It is so useful to recognize how seemingly "normal It is so useful to recognize how seemingly "normal" checking and controlling fuels the symptoms we hate. If you're struggling with things like derealization / depersonalization, or fears around sexuality, losing your mind, developing psychosis, and anything else that involves losing control of you and your identity, look broadly at how you interact with uncertainty in your life. The brain is simply being logical. If I react to uncertainty about a door lock, or an email, how can I not react to an uncertainty about my existence?! The time we spend on uncertainties that don't trouble us much is what causes the uncertainties that do trouble us.

#uncertainty #fear #anxiety #depersonalization #derealization #recovery #checking #YouTube #pureo #ruminating #realization #mentalhealth #mentalfitness #mentalhealthquotes #psychology

LATEST TWEETS
Twitter
thepathtochange
Follow
RT @MorganCShields: If you were hospitalized in a psychiatric unit/hospital within the past 5 years, please consider taking our survey and/…
5 hours ago
- thepathtochange
It's easier to create change from a place of seeing ourselves as whole (instead of holes to fix and fill). We can… https://t.co/CAiUygpMg6
10 hours ago
- thepathtochange
@PsychNiles Created it.
12 hours ago
- thepathtochange
The fact we see so many (or any) studies like this, where a placebo delivers greater improvement than a drug, doesn… https://t.co/al9bFthYQJ
15 hours ago
- thepathtochange
RECENT POSTS
  • January 11, 2021
    Online Mental Health Writing Workshop
  • November 19, 2020
    Life after recovery
  • October 10, 2020
    The Tune-Up on Twitch – Mental Health Recovery Q&A
  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • GET IN TOUCH
  • BUY SHOUT THEME
MADE IN PORTUGAL. WITH LOVE.
So you want to work in mental health… | MARK FREEMAN