People who have faced the same challenges as us in life have special and valuable knowledge to help us that the psychologist is not able to provide. Does talking to such a person replace professional advice?
Talking and sharing heartache with those who have gone through the same situation as a person gives us a sense of understanding and contains valuable advice that only happens to anyone in those special circumstances. On the other hand, counseling and psychotherapy solve mental problems by studying the human mind and providing scientific solutions. Can these two approaches be replaced? What are the benefits and risks of each? In this article fromhowWe are going to talk more about this.
Why do we prefer a listening ear to a psychologist?
Are you willing to spend 2 million tomans for a meal? How about participating in an exercise class? Or a new dress? Are you willing to spend half an hour of your time listening to the problems of a stranger’s life?
A new application called Fello is dedicated to exactly this. This app pays you to describe people’s life experiences to anyone who wants to hear it! Maybe Flow’s income generation model seems strange to you; But don’t programs like Snap and Jobama pay their subscribers by sharing cars or houses with others? The Fello program is exactly the same and gives you the opportunity to earn money by sharing your personal knowledge.
The purpose of this type of communication is to receive some kind of emotional support that we cannot get from friends and loved ones, virtual networks or talking to counselors and psychologists. The person listening to our experience is not a mental health professional. The problem is that the person on the other side of our smartphone is going through the times we have already gone through.
Of course, Fello’s idea is not new. “Peer support” is something that everyone usually does. It must have happened to you that in a difficult situation, you thought of hearing the experience of another person who went through those days (for example, the experience of becoming a mother, going to university, and so on).
This human desire is rooted in his attempt to face a difficult situation: getting traditional mental health care is hard to come by and expensive. The demand for mental health services is much higher than that, and psychotherapy sessions are generally expensive. As a result, more than half of adults with mental health disorders in the United States do not receive appropriate treatment. Overall, 42% of Americans admit to being concerned about their mental health, while only 10% of them see a psychologist.
What is the difference between heartache and professional counseling?
Peer support is not a definitive cure for mental health issues. Hearing the experiences of others cannot replace the years of training that mental health professionals receive; Especially in relation to sensitive situations and problems of vulnerable people.
However, these supports also have their defenders. why Because people with similar experiences offer a kind of support that is more accessible and tangible to people who don’t want or need clinical treatment. Also, it is a complementary approach for those who are undergoing professional treatment but feel that something is missing.
People of our same level and rank provide us with an exceptional opportunity; which is nothing but companionship and practical advice that comes from going through a difficult path and overcoming circumstances.
A professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in the US believes that this type of support does not create value for patients and the healthcare system at large. Some people who are going through a difficult time in life (for example, a career setback, a relationship obstacle, or a major life transition) just need a listening ear and empathy. If they receive this support from an ordinary person with similar experience instead of a specialist, there will be more space for people who need professional help. Also, maybe hearing guidance from a peer is more in line with their situation.
These days, there are dedicated forums for all kinds of problems. People with similar problems come together in groups and talk about their experiences (such as substance abuse and work associations in Western countries). These forums are very popular and are expanding day by day. Now let’s go to a basic question: Does listening to other people’s experiences improve our lives?
Does hearing the experiences of others improve our lives?
Science has contradictory ideas about this. This method may not be good for the person giving the advice because he has to go over and share the story of his difficulties over and over again. Some of these people may not find psychological problems or even manage to find fans, but overall, research shows that this increases the risk of burnout.
The next issue is that the evidence shows that among those who receive peer support, very few find clinical improvement (measurable reduction in symptoms). A 2019 research review found that there is no valuable evidence of this method’s effectiveness in people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
However, another study in 2023 found that peer support increased the likelihood of personal recovery, or the ability to find satisfaction and meaning in life despite the persistence of symptoms. The results of other researches indicate the improvement of the sense of belonging, presence in the community, having social connections, resilience, self-belief, hope and empowerment. All this leads to health; Even though these characteristics are harder to measure than clinical symptoms.
Some also believe that, in principle, the support of peers should not be replaced by receiving professional psychological support; Because basically its purpose is something else. A person who seeks the support of his peers does not want to solve his illness or mental problem through it, but he wants to work on the issues that he has identified as needing improvement. Research has shown that those who receive peer support are less likely to need to be readmitted to a mental hospital.
When someone talks to his peers, he can somehow see the outcome and future of his situation and face it. This is an experience that cannot be gained in counseling sessions. If a psychologist has not experienced problems related to a certain race, ethnicity, or people of a certain skin color, it may be difficult for the client to feel comfortable with what he or she has to say.
In general, there is nothing wrong with trying such a support. However, care should be taken that people with chronic or alarming conditions do not rely on this type of support alone. A person in charge of support counseling sessions or a peer in the Flow application may not know what to do in an emergency situation; For example, if there is a possibility of personal injury. This person may overstep their bounds and make suggestions that someone in their position is not allowed to do or may not have the knowledge to make a fundamental change.
Can a listening ear take the place of a consultant?
Talking to people who have had similar experiences to us, compared to talking to a counselor or psychologist, has advantages as well as disadvantages that we discussed in this article. Don’t the people who have stepped on our path and come out successful have more effective words to say to us? Don’t they understand us better than a strange advisor? What do you think about this? If you’ve ever had a positive experience solving a mental problem with heartache that a counselor was unable to cure, please share your thoughts with us and other How To readers.
Source: Time
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