Organizational Fragmentation is Hurting Us

Mental health professionals are like cats. We are hard to herd. Perhaps this is due to our independent and autonomous nature, at which most of us seem to arrive after years of study and work as strong advocates of the individual. Perhaps this is an example of western philosophy taken to an extreme.

Whatever the source this has resulted in an unfortunate situation in which we have created a seemingly endless array of professional organizations with which we affiliate. These organizations appeal to narrow sensibilities or professional pursuits. Here are a few examples from the college mental health profession alone:

• AUCCCD
• ACCA
• ACCTA
• ACCCCS
• AUCCCO
• APA's Division 17 and its Commission on College Counseling
• NASPA and its programs on mental health
• ACPA and its programs on mental health
• And professional organizations representing several disciplines within college mental health, such as APA, ACA, NASW, AMFTA, and those for psychiatry.

This is just a partial list. Other professions may have multiple associations as well, but often rely on a single one to speak on their behalf, such as ACHA or AMA for those in medical fields.

This degree of fragmentation is a major obstacle to advancing our specialty, which I believe it is. Due to all the voices, all the principles and customs on which these organizations were founded, it is next to impossible to form meaningful and potent alliances, position statements, and agenda for advocacy at any level. Attempts have been made, such as through HEMHA, but these may be limited in scope due to funding and staffing realities. Without appropriate funds and executive staff to carry out its goals, such efforts will always be quite limited in spite of the very best intentions behind them.

It is past time for us to correct this situation. Due to forces in the economics and politics of health care in the United States, some organizations are pursuing an agenda which often does not incorporate respect for other professions or their core philosophies, especially regarding youth and young adults. Trends toward pathologizing normal life experiences, such as bereavement, so that intrusive interventions may be deployed are but one example. Take note of the buzzwords associated with these efforts: evidence-based care, best practices, integrated care, and so on. As I covered in a previous post, these buzzwords mask another reality, which is integration without true integration, and selective review of research to support whatever may be called a best practice.

The professional organizations representing college mental health need to be consolidated in order to form a more active and potent and focused association. It is an irony that in our appreciation for diversity, we may have neglected the greatest diversity of all: the full range of our professional philosophies and service models. Without such a consolidation and re-calibrating of our efforts, this diversity will continue to suffer and may disappear altogether.

7 ways to manage change

Like the saying goes, change is the only constant in life. Sometimes it’s for the better, other times it’s not. But no matter what, it will come at you every day of your life. With some transitions, it might be hard to adjust. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make change more manageable.

  

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1. Try something new

Prepare for future changes by getting used to the process. Try new things on a regular basis so that variety become a natural part of your life. Take chances and open yourself up to what’s outside your comfort zone. New foods, sports, friends, classes, hobbies and so on make you more able to adapt to the changes you will later encounter. Besides, novel forms of stimulation are great for your brain!

2. Prepare

Not all change is foreseeable, but you can make life a lot easier if you prepare when you can. Make decisions that are consistent with what you will be facing. If you need a new outfit in the winter, you’re not going to buy shorts (unless you’re lucky enough to live somewhere warm). Now is a good time to look at the year ahead. What changes are you making and what challenges do you face? If you take the time to examine those things, you can make a plan to better handle the changes.

3. Establish comfort

When you are faced with something new and unknown, find something familiar to hold on to. There is always a way to bring in something you treasure. Often, it’s the little things. You might have a new job, but you can put the same pictures on your desk and listen to the same radio station on your drive to work. Not only is this a chance for you to make things more comfortable, but you might find that your old experiences can add something valuable to your new ones. 

4. Learn to both hold on and let go

When faced with change, we are given the question of what to keep and when to let go. Take some time to consciously think about this. What lets you progress and what is holding you back? You might also find that some things can remain, but in a different form. For instance, you might move somewhere new. You can’t go to your favorite restaurant anymore, but you can find other similar ones. Alternately, you could adapt skills you used in one setting to fit another. 

5. Be flexible and resilient

In terms of psychological health, flexibility and resilience are essential. When you are flexible, you can roll with the punches and take things as they come. This makes change less difficult and upsetting. Resilience helps you get back on track when things don’t go your way, which cuts out a lot of confusion and wasted time. Practice using these qualities in your everyday life. When things don’t go as expected, don’t let it get to you and find ways to adapt.

6. Ask for help and advice

You don’t have to go through change alone. Other people can be a great resource. Seek out both people you trust and people who have gone through changes similar to yours. If you are having trouble adjusting to a pregnancy, talk to other moms and see what helped them. If you are switching schools, see if there’s another new student you can befriend. If nothing else, it can be great to have someone to vent to and use as a sounding board.

7. Find opportunities

You can look at change either as taking something away from you or as something giving you a chance to grow. As they say, when one door closes, another opens. If the change is not one you enjoy, there can be good things that come out of it, even if it’s simply personal growth. You always have a choice in how you react to the changes in your life and if you seek out the best parts, negativity won’t get to you as easily.

What has helped you during times of change? Sound off in the comments. 

Some thoughts on recovery

Today I’m going to get a little more personal than I normally do. I’ve been thinking about where I’m at in my recovery, where I’m heading and what I’ve learned. From this, I have a few things I’d like to say.

Graur Codrin/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We all know life isn’t fair. Mental illness is one of those unfair things. Whether it’s caused by nature, nurture or something else, mental illness infringes on our lives in a way that is disruptive and even paralyzing. The things we want to experience and accomplish can seem so far out of reach. Hope can be elusive, but it’s important to believe it’s there.

There are times when I’ve spent months in bed. Other times, I only spent long mornings in bed. Now, I can get up just fine most days. What changed? A million little things. I have had a lot of therapy. I got on the right medications. I have done work on trauma I’ve experienced. I regulated my sleep cycle. I make sure to eat enough. I actively seek out things that keep my interest. I slowed down with school. I cut out negative influences in my life. I’ve worked to better my
relationships. I even got cats. 

So is recovery easy? By no means. All that had to happen simply for me to get out of bed before lunch. If that much and more was required to make that one change, how long is it going to take to do other things? 

The truth is, my whole life. Mental illness can and does go into remission, but you still have to work to stay as healthy as you can. I could say that things are “good enough,” but I think that would be selling myself short. To be honest, I’m not happy with myself unless I am working to heal and become a better person. 

And that is one thing I think mental illness can do: It can make you more motivated to grow and become strong. Recovery teaches you the skills to be healthier, which can be applied beyond reaching a baseline “okay.” As much as not having mental illness would have changed my life for the better in many ways, it would also rob me of some of my strengths. I wouldn’t be as resilient. I wouldn’t place such a high value on good relationships. I wouldn’t know how to handle a crisis. I wouldn’t be as grateful. I wouldn’t be able to run this blog and try to make treatment easier for someone else. 

I wish I knew a better way to express how much each and every good choice you make is significant progress. I don’t know that I’d listen to myself a few years ago. But it ended up adding up. It took a long time, but my life is on track to be what I want it to be. Not all my aspirations will come true, but I’ve made new ones that are realistic to me and my condition. 

I’ve been reflecting about why I run this blog at all. I really, really want my readers to believe that recovery is possible. Not only is it possible, but it’s something you can do. There will come a day when you’ll say, “It was worth it to keep trying.” It might even happen when you least expect it. You are meant to live a good and happy life. You have a right to achieve that. If you do ten things wrong today, the one thing you did right still matters. Those “one thing”s add up eventually.

Have you made progress? Do you have hope you will? Give us your thoughts in the comments.