A great portrayal of how much we like psychobabble.

I think our greatest challenge in marketing is to come across as real person. We sure love our psychobabble.

What drove many people to these resources is the licensed mental helth proviers over use of non-professional and out of boundary techniques and methods that are not connected to the practice of a professionally provided mental helth program and the training programs that prepare persons for professional licensure. (What exactly IS “soul Centered Psychiatry?, or “Self-Psychology”? or my personal all-time favorite, “Motivational Enhancement Therapy”). Are these techniques REALLY a bona-fide licensed professional mental health service? Come on….!

In fact, in my town, I can get “therapy” from a licensed person (mostly MFT’sand LPC’s)for no more than $25 per hour and don’t have to worry about insurance companies selling my private information to the DMV or credit card companies. (which is legal by the way). the recession is a big issue as many people lost insurance and simply do not have money for the luxury of expensive talk help. There are so many self help groups,and effective ones as well, that the licensed person seems to be getting edged out in favor of more convenient and much cheaper and more confidential sources of meaningful and lasting help. Lastly, therapists are willing to bargain for fees and if you must see a licensed person it is quite possible to negotiate the fee to a much lower rate. It never hurts to try- even if you have to call several therapists to get lower rates. Times are changing and the therapy business is not recession proof. As other innovative models of care from free community sources pop up across the country, we can expect greater demands (and expectations) on the licensed person to lower fees and negotiate rates. I guess that is good for the consumer- maybe not for the therapy folks.