Deals with the involvement of psychotherapy patients in Hartford,
Connecticut in the organization Volunteers in Psychotherapy. Background
on the community work done by the patients involved in the organization;
Therapeutic benefits to the patients; Reason of psychologist Richard
Shulman for forming the organization.
By
Robert Whitaker, published on November 01, 2001
PSYCHOTHERAPY
PSYCHOTHERAPY PATIENTS IN Hartford, Connecticut, are participating
in a national trial, but no new drugs or behavioral tactics are involved.
At Volunteers in Psychotherapy (VIP), patients volunteer four hours at a
local charity to earn one free hour of psychotherapy. VIP participants
have volunteered at a homeless shelter, a food bank or the Red Cross.
"It's a way to tell clients, 'You have something of value to offer the
community," says Richard Shulman, Ph.D., the psychologist who founded the
nonprofit organization in 1998 after growing increasingly frustrated with
managed-care medicine.
The community work provides its own therapeutic benefits. Many VIP
clients have previously shuttled in and out of mental hospitals and
suffered the loss of self-esteem that such hospitalization entails. "It
gets them into situations where they are helping others and are being
thanked and rewarded with the approval of coworkers," Shulman explains.
"I had one client who said that just getting out of the house and
volunteering was the most important thing for him."
Shulman has raised $25,000 from private donors and philanthropic
organizations to fund VIP. He and four additional psychologists are paid
$45 per hour by VIP for their services, which is slightly less than half
the going rate in Hartford. To date, they have seen about 60
patients.
Last year, VIP was honored by the Connecticut Psychological
Association, but the real gratification for Shulman is the chance to
practice in an environment free from managed-care restrictions. Shulman
cites clients' concerns about confidentiality with HMOs as an incentive
to participate in the program. Clients also realize that they can receive
therapy for as long as they tike.
"It feels like the right way to do therapy," says Shulman. "Clients
know that they have earned the right for the session to be absolutely
private."
Tags:
care medicine,
food bank,
gratification,
hartford connecticut,
helping others,
hmos,
homeless shelter,
hospitalization,
mental hospitals,
new drugs,
nonprofit organization,
therapeutic benefits
