Lived Experience Forum

[Mrsomebody]

In psychology it's a 70/30 split so if you charge 220 and see 7 people a day that's $5,390 tax works different with the ABN number there's a lot of write-offs you would bring home minimum 4000 after all taxes. And trust me I've spoken to seasoned professionals they don't spend any more than 5 minutes on notes actually most of them don't take any notes at all they just take key points and bring them up in the next session so it feels like they were listening. I'm glad it was worth it for you although for me I think it's a fantasy almost like a fake relationship or seeing an escort. The government subsidized it so do you know what the psychologist did they rammed up their prices to match the subsidy so they're still charging the same but taking the government subsidy that doesn't sound virtuous in actual fact I'm quite sure that's quite illegal like price fixing on petrol although no one will question it. People are better off finding ways to get better connections through things like this forum learn from other people listen to other people care about each other and put the money to something worthwhile. That's just my opinion although it's different for everybody and if it's work wonders for you I'm extremely happy. I'm not referring to councillors in my opinion there Saints I've gotten some free advice from some lovely people from this web site end over the phone and it was 10 times better than anything I ever paid for. And I think this is because they weren't trying to waste my time they got straight to the point of what I was feeling and that was it was like gold didn't cost me a dime

[tyme]

Hi @Mrsomebody ,

It's great you've managed to speak to the SANE helplines and have found them helpful.

I'm sorry to hear of your experiences out there with professionals. I'm sure others can relate.

On the other hand, I've also had my fair share of amazing professionals. I can't say they were out for my money, because i've never had to fork out. It was all subsidised. I'm only here today because of the care, compassion and work of my treating team.

So your experiences may be for a handful of professionals, yet there are also those out there who genuinely do their job because they want to. You just need to persist in finding them.

If something doesn't work, keep looking. Hence, you have found the SANE helplines! Good on you. Thank you for the feedback that you found them most helpful 🙂

Take Care,

tyme

[perspective]

Thanks for that , I’m just glad I’m alive and I have a fantastic dog. After my sister took me to court my psychiatrist said to me, “ you should feel vindicated “ . I’m not sure anyone could understand how soul destroying that statement was. Life goes on. 

[Mrsomebody]

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it I actually expected to get plastered and blocked from the group I just wanted to share what I honestly believed. A huge amount of psychologists are working for themselves now a days just taking phone calls not even a video call literally a phone call are they honestly trying to tell us that $130 bulk billed for 45 minutes in 5 minutes worth of notes at the most is not worth it for them. A 45-minute phone call I would do that for $130 lol. Actually $220 is a lower estimate most places nowadays a charging to $260 on what planet is a conversation with someone with $260 am I the only one who can see this 🙂

[Mrsomebody]

Well said I'm actually going to take that advice on board. I'm like you I just can't do the mental health system any more feels like you're just going round in circles you better off just chatting with normal people

[tyme]

@Mrsomebody , I absolutely hear and respect your thoughts and experiences. If anything, others reading on the forums would benefit in that they know they are not alone if they feel the same way as you. You would not be blocked or barred from respectfully sharing your experiences. These are invaluable to the community!

That's why, I think it's also important to balance out these views in saying I have never had a psychologist call or conduct a Telehealth conference from their home. It's always been from the office. And that's after YEARSSSSS of therapy!

So bottom line, it's important to keep searching until you find something that works for you. It IS out there. Just keep looking!

If anyone is interested, here is the link to some of SANE's services beyond the forums which @Mrsomebody was writing about:

- SANE's Peer Support 

- SANE's Counselling Services 

Take Care,

tyme

[chibam]

There's a lot of really relatable stuff in this thread, but I have to say that I found @Mrsomebody and @perspective 's comments most relatable. Especially @perspective 's observations that the system really needs to be doing a lot more to help fix the broken lives of the suffering, e.g. with arranging proper employment.

I've been expressing the need for "real life help" for years. I am cautiously optimistic that that at least some people in power may have been listening.

If memory serves, I believe one of the big reccommendations of the Victorian Royal Inquiry was that the Vic government ought to found some center in Melbourne with a name like "The Mental Wellness Center" (or something like that), which would be all about finding real remedies to peoples' real-life woes. No more simply being medicated and being browbeaten into "coping" with your inhumane suffering. Actual cures. Families for the lonely; jobs for the miserably unemployed (or inappropriately employed); banishing of the bullies. Just imagine it. 🙂

And with regards to @Mrsomebody 's remarks about the 'money-grubbing' side of therapy, I have no doubt that it is far more rife then the powers-that-be want us to know. I've heard people defend them frequently in this regard, stating: "If someone was obsessed with money, there are far more lucrative professions they could go for." But, IMHO, that is very flimsy logic, tailored with an agenda to paint therapists in a more favorable light.

As @Mrsomebody  points out, it is easy money at very attractive hourly rates (yes, even when you factor in all the business costs, ect.); but perhaps most attractive of all is the security of that income stream, knowing that you have no real expectations for success imposed upon you.

Lawyers make a lot of money, sure. But how many of them would still be in business if 90% of their clients lost their cases? By contrast, therapists can fail as many patients as they want, and those patients have no entitlement to any refunds, and those failures are unlikely to have any negative repercussions on their business, as there's a widespread expectation that therapists may not "click" with their clients.

Imagine a law system where your freedom was entirely dependant on whether or not you and your lawyer "clicked". If the circumstances of your case were totally irrelevant?

Excellant wages. Zero expectations of success. Therapy is basically a license to print money. Even if there are a handful of decent souls scattered throughout the industry. Or maybe more. Or maybe less. We have no way of knowing, since there's never been any sort of formal survey to determine the proportion of good therapists in the industry (i.e. those who deliver satisfying outcomes to a significant portion of their patients) to bad ones.

For my part, I personally suspect that my own therapist was a scam artist. In part, because she was so obsessed with money, she would always be injecting it into our conversations. But also because she was always adjusting her fees to entirely consume the government discount on therapy sessions, which I believe someone previously mentioned in this thread?

During my stint in therapy, the government increased the size of the discount several times. The theory being that, the cheaper the cost of therapy, the more available it would be to Australians who are desparately in need of help, but can't afford it.

So therapy was supposed to be getting cheaper and cheaper for me, thanks to the government. Except it wasn't. Cause every time the discount went up, my therapist's fees would go up by the same amount. The out-of-pocket expense for my family never dropped.

And that's not to mention the fact that she kept me in therapy for years, despite knowing the whole time that she was never going to help me. I guess I was just too good a cash stream.

Actually there was more to it then that; she got off on manipulating me, tried very very hard to brainwash me into being her puppet.

But that's an old story I don't feel like reiterating again right now.

("Thank God!" cry the forum veterans who have already heard it a hundred times. 😉)

[Fhr]

I can relate to this, not for myself but for my son who first started seeing what turned into a cavalcade of psychiatrists and psychologists at the age of 17. He is now 30 and I can honestly say that absolutely none of them seem to have made any difference or offered him any sort of practical help. I am totally disillusioned with the entire profession. 

[Mrsomebody]

Oh my God you said it's so well thank you so much. When you said they can fail as much as they want and just say we didn't gel or click that is what I'm talking about they don't even have to make an effort it's just a licence to print money full stop although other people will just yell at you no you gotta find someone you click with. You know what classes me as not clicking with someone. Asking questions when I asked the question or wanted to do something I was removed straight away because I didn't want to follow their plan. A plan which had nothing to do with what I wanted. And yes they have completely raised their prices to match the government subsidy how is that morally right they use to charge before the government subsidy a little over $100 then the government kicked in and they doubled their prices how can anyone justify this course of action it's so wrong ans ilegal and selfish, I'm not joking one of the first psychologist I seen the 26 year old who told me I was fat on my first session on the third session as soon as I walked in the door she said I'm sending you to a psychiatrist that'll be $220 thanks and I had to pay what else could I do. Because we didn't click she could have told me that the last session but instead she chose for me to walk in the door and told me straight away I'm sending you to a psychiatrist and took my money. How could I not pay she would say I gave him the service we just didn't click. Actually I might start an electrical business like that I might walk in the door for a job and then say sorry we don't click that will be $220 please then walk out😄 thanks for your opinion it was a breath of fresh air

[Mrsomebody]

Sometimes venting the truth can validate others. I sense disapproval in your comment. I am not judging you at all as everyone is entitled to an opinion but I wonder is there anything in my statement that you disagree with.