Finding the Truth

Looking for Help With Your Child's Mental Health

image: Markus Winker under Unsplash.

I am being asked increasingly about whether I recommend various child mental health programmes. I’ve put together this list so that you can evaluate for yourself whether any particular programme is likely to hurt or help your child.  Inappropriate interventions can make things worse, and anyone who is offering mental health treatment should be both qualified and regulated. 

These are the things to look for and it stands for TRUTH.

Training

Regulation

Upfront about costs and what they actually do.

(No) Trashing Other Approaches

(No) High pressure sales techniques.

Training

Are they appropriately trained to do the work you want them to do? What are their qualifications and do they come from a recognised profession with significant clinical training?  This should be obvious on their promotional materials.

Some people use the title ‘Dr’ when they actually have an academic PhD which does not qualify them to work clinically.  A Masters degree does not usually qualify you to work clinically.  

If they are say they are a psychologist, that term is not protected in the UK. They should be registered as a practitioner psychologist and you should be able to look them up on a register.

Regulation

Mental health professionals are registered with and accredited by a regulatory body. This guarantees that they have been properly trained and continue to practice ethically with regular supervision.  If something goes wrong, this is the body that you complain to.  This should be clear on their website and materials.   

The British Psychological Society is not a regulatory body, if someone say that it is, then be wary. 

Regulatory bodies include the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council), the BACP, the BABCP, the UKCP and more.  These organisations will have lists of their websites of people who are regulated by them. 

If they do not have a regulatory body, then you will have no one to complain to if they treat you unethically and no guarantee that they are trained or supervised.

Upfront costs and approach.

It should be clear how much things cost upfront. 

Sometimes there is a cheap first offer to encourage you to sign up, and then you will be told that to get the real benefits, you need to pay more. 

Mental health practitioners should be able to tell you what their approach is (and they should be trained in it). For example, they could be using cognitive therapy, EMDR, compassion-focused therapy, drama therapy, art therapy or psychodynamic psychotherapy (and many others).   You should be able get a good idea of what to expect before deciding to go ahead. 

If they say that their approach is unique to them and no one else does it, be wary.   

If they make vague references to their ground-breaking approach but can’t be tied down on what it actually involves, be wary.  

If their approach involves paying large amounts of money for a special machine or intervention, be wary. 

Trashing other approaches

No professional would rubbish all other approaches out of hand.  If they say things like ‘Other approaches just don’t work’ or ‘Everyone else misunderstands childhood depression but we know better’ then be wary.

Trained mental health professionals will not promise miraculous results.  They will be more nuanced, which can mean that they seem less convincing. 

If someone is saying to you ‘We will solve all your child’s problems if you pay us this’ – be wary.    It’s not true. No one can promise this. Particularly not if they haven’t met you or your child.

If they talk a lot about how amazing they are in comparison to everyone else – be wary.

High pressure marketing

Good mental health practitioners are in demand. They don’t use high pressure marketing because it is unethical and they don’t need to.  They will not send you repeated emails telling you that the only way to solve your child’s problems is to pay them money.

If they are using your child’s unhappiness to push you into buying a product, using language like ‘What price is your child’s happiness?’ or ‘Give your child the chance to recover and live a life free from anxiety’ – then this is high pressure marketing.

If they are sending you email after email using highly emotive language, be wary.

If they are implying that your child could commit suicide unless you buy their product, be very wary.

If they use hyperbole like ‘Incredible’ and ‘Unbelievable’ be wary.

The Bottom Line:

If they are offering something which seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.