Would you still prefer quackery?

On a sunny afternoon, I was with a friend at a coffee shop. While I was sipping my coffee, my busy friend was busy with her phone. A familiar face crossed our table. As I was scanning my memory for his name, he waved backed already.

I waved back while the scanning was still on. I got his name, abandoned my busy friend and went to his table. After usual small talk, I noticed his arm seemed injured and had a dressing on it. While describing it, I asked him for the orthopedician’s report but I was baffled at his response.

He said he went to the ‘maalishwalla’ to get rid of a sprain, instead got his elbow dislocated. Now he is visiting an orthopedician for the treatment of his dislocated elbow.

Another shocking incident was narrated by my mother. It is about a neighbour who consulted a ‘self-conferred’ counseler for her daughter. The counseler’s board read as ‘Any psychological problems come to me’!

This woman’s 15 years old daughter was refusing to go to school and facing a lot of frustration due to sudden change in her school and stream of study. After a private session with girl, the counseler suggested the girl’s mother to get the girl married as is usually done in their respective community.

Since the girl showed interest and liking in cooking, art and painting, the counseler opined that she need not go to school for these. Also that the utility of these are in married life. My mother described the relentless agony of the mother for her wrong decision to discuss her daughter’s life with such counseler (quack)!

These incidents kindled a serious thought in me, that ‘wrong hands can do more harm than good’. This former incident reflected a physical harm. However, when the infliction is at a psychological and mental level, the consequences are unimaginably adverse, which the second incident emphasises.

More often than not, it is mistaken that talking to a friend, a teacher, close relative or a parent may solve mental health problems. But what goes under the rug is, that all these agents could possibly give a momentary relief, a shoulder to cry upon and help you find solace but not solution.

Indian society is struggling with a double trouble. Firstly, asking for psychological counseling and secondly choosing ‘home remedies’ over professional counseling. Psychological counseling does not disregard the Indian ethos of family and affiliative culture. In fact, it shares the same purpose of Indian ethos, which wellbeing of an individual.

In addition to being misused the, the word ‘Counseling’ is seen a taboo too. Sadly, the profession that offers help is dreaded. It is a cliché that serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia only need help. What about psychological problems like depression, anxiety? Though they do not qualify for severe mental illness, are passive killers in many dimensions of one’s life.

Now, there is another perspective, that people, who have completed an online crash course on counseling, studied a self-help book or even self-conferred counselors practise counseling. As found in many other professions, we find ‘quacks’ in the field of counseling too.

However, what is disheartening is that compared to other fields, quackery is ‘tolerated’ in the name of counseling! May be for various reasons, like ignorance of Psychological counseling, its complexity and professionalism or the high risk behaviour of belittling these above aspects. How important the decision of going for counseling is, equally important is choosing a genuine, professional counseler.

Contrary to the popular belief and lampooning, Psychological counseling is just not ‘talking’ or ‘nodding periodically’. It is application of psychological principles for meeting the goals of wellbeing of an individual. It is based on a scientific and professional approach. It involves knowledge and skill proficiency and a qualifying degree and training in Psychology, specialisation in counseling and years of experience. Counseling also abides by recognised set of ethical principles.

Counseler is the facilitator who designs sessions based on the problems addressed by the client and identified by the counseler. It is the skill of the counseler with which they enable and equip the client to start finding solutions to their problems instead of settling for solace.

It is an irony rather a shame that where physical harm is involved, people are highly intolerant towards quackery. When it comes to subtler and sensitive dimensions like one’s mental health why is quackery tolerated rather encouraged?

While sighing, I reiterate the question, ‘would you still prefer quackery?’ Nevertheless, choosing to go for counseling is a well appreciated sign of awareness among people, it is the need of the hour to expand this awareness in choosing genuine, professional counsellors.