As an Adlerian therapist, I often find myself thinking about providing mental health care in terms of both the individual and the society as a whole. “Alfred Adler made numerous contributions to the field of psychotherapy through his teaching, the therapy he provided to many clients, and his published works. Most of Adler’s ideas centered on the importance of society and the need for all humans to cooperate with each other. Adler’s underlying goal was the overall improvement of society across each generation, pushing toward a series of ever-expanding changes for the betterment of all people.” (Overholser, 2013)
It would be ideal to consider that the over -arching theme of social justice operates in a separate sphere from actual mental health service delivery, but the last ten years of my work life has taught me that it cannot. I have worked for the past ten years in an urban, outpatient mental health setting and serve mainly adults with psychosis. In that time, I have seen my clients struggle to have enough money to cover their food and housing. Many of my clients are “lucky” enough to have some benefits that help defray these costs, but obtaining and maintaining these benefits is difficult due to their own disability and also giant systems issues (such as too few staff to process renewal paperwork) .
Similarly, I have seen a parallel process to this at my outpatient therapy office. I see clients struggle to understand their insurance and what benefits it carries. I have seen clients who are only allowed limited appointments to see me based on their health care plans, even though clinically I think they could benefit from more assistance.
I have had the luxury of being asked to attend policy planning meetings at the Minnesota Department of Human Services regarding legislature that provides provisions for how some of our mental health services are provided. This was a humbling and powerful experience for me. It showed me on a very practical level how our ideals for social justice and mental health care shape the laws which govern their provision. I feel that we cannot take for granted that these laws and “rules” are made by people, who have their own opinions of mental health, stigma, and social justice. There is then, in essence, no way to separate social justice from the provision of mental health services. As mental health advocates, it behooves us to be involved in challenging the stigma that surrounds mental health, and advocating to increase access to care.
I this is something you feel passionate about, consider attending Minnesota’s Mental Health Day on the Hill March 31st, 10:00-Noon at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Ave. W., in St. Paul.
