Giving Psychology Away

I've spent the last week at a workshop to trains missionaries in crisis response. The content ranges from practical skills to reflecting on a personal theology of suffering. It seems like the focused time to think about crisis and the opprotunity to receive training in how to support friends and collegues in the midst of trauma has been absoluetly invaluable to those who are here. These folks are all "well versed" in crisis through personal experiences. This training adds more formal knowledge and the opportunity to practice specific skills. Perhaps most importantly the training forms the basis for a network of peers who can advise and support each other as they are assisting and supporting other people.

The simple fact is that there is much trauma and few professional mental health workers. It is most effective for the few trained workers to use some of their time and energy equipping other people to better fullfill the supportive roles they are already playing. It makes sense to enhance the organic "counseling" and care-taking that is already taking place, rather than attempt to care directly for each person who may need some psychological support.

As an emerging professional it has been neat to see psychology used in such a practical, empowering way. I think there is some tendancy to among professionals to hoard knowledge and training and treat it as if it needs to be restricted for use by a select few. It costs professionals some tokens of authority to reveal their "secret" knowledge and offer it to others. I understand that there is danger in a little bit of knowledge and I am not arguing for the careless distribution of psychological practice and theory, but I do think professionals do a disservice when they underestimate "non-professionals". I really like the word empowerment. Give power to others, don't hold it all to yourself.