YA Helen, talks about her experiences with using technology
and gives advice on how healthcare professionals can adopt some
technologies into their practice with young people
What does technology mean to you?
To me, technology is an incredibly broad term used
in reference to the processes and objects which are created and
used to integrate various parts of society. When I think of the
word itself, I think of all the inventions we have in today's
society that have contributed to the process of globalisation;
particularly communication technology. This allows people to
communicate despite barriers which may have gotten in the way in
the past.
What types of technology do you use in your day to day
life?
It almost feels like it would be easier to ask
'what types of technology don't you use in your day to day life?'!
I am one of those young people who wouldn't function very
effectively without communication technology (though I did do the
40 Hour Famine from technology this year )! However, I also don't
let it rule my life. Mostly I use wireless internet on my laptop,
my mobile phone (mostly just texting) and my ipod. Then there's
other things that are considered to be technology like tv, dvd
player, stereo, radio, gaming devices etc.
Have you sought
treatment for any type of mental health difficulties?
Somewhat unfortunately, yes. My 'treatment' is
ongoing.
Would you tell me a little about them?
Sure. I guess the easiest way to explain my
difficulties would be with the labels/ diagnoses I have been given.
My formal psychiatric treatment started about two years ago, but I
regret not saying or doing anything sooner. Since then I have been
diagnosed with major depression, anxiety, social phobia, and most
recently bipolar disorder type 2 while exhibiting borderline
personality disorder traits. I don't generally like using labels,
especially because they don't reflect the complexity of my
experiences and I don't want them to define who I am. However, they
attribute some kind of legitimacy to my reality and even though my
list is long and ever changing, it seems to help other gain some
perspective of my difficulties.
What were your experiences with
health care professionals like?
At the start things were fine because I was being
'managed' by my GP (who I've seen for the majority of my life).
Soon after, when the hunt for further help started though, things
got worse. I saw a private psychologist for a couple of months, but
felt like she didn't have any idea about young people and was
treating me as if I were a small child with a grazed knee. After
that I refused to go to anyone else, because I was so disheartened.
Months later though, I grudgingly agreed to see another private
clinical psychologist. My experience with him was much better, but
he didn't do very well at listening to what I was actually saying.
He seemed to have a progression of sessions he went through with
all young people, and failed to recognise that we are actually all
different, unique individuals. This culminated in the worst session
I have had to date, and forced me to realise that it was going to
take a lot of time, effort, and trial and error to find a therapist
I was able to trust and work with. After this, I was referred and
self presented to the public mental health system for various
reasons, on multiple occasions, but was turned away every time
because I was not deemed to be 'severe enough' for their services
despite my GP's concerns. At one point I was even told that I was
just going through a phase of low self esteem, and needed to grow
and love myself more!
Now though, things are much better. I eventually
got in to see a great private psychiatrist, and through her I have
found an awesome counsellor, did a number of Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy sessions with a psychologist and have had very positive
experiences with psychiatric ward/ hospital admissions.
What
types of technology were used in your sessions?
Before I had the courage to talk to my GP, I
accessed Kids Help Line via their email and web counselling
services, and eventually by phone. The support I received from my
counsellor there was vital in building my confidence enough to
reach out to my GP.
Other than that, hardly any technology has been
used. I was once given a podcast to listen to on my ipod when I was
driving, and have been able to send text messages to a couple of
therapists (including my current one) to organise session times
etc, but that's about all (apart from making phone calls).
How do
you think it would have/or did make a difference to your
treatment?
The technology used by Kids Help Line made SO much
difference! Being able to start with emailing, and progress through
to web and then phone counselling was fantastic. Although each
stage was scary and daunting as heck at the time, I can now see
that with every contact I made, I grew more and more confident,
eventually ending up being able to seek face to face support.
Without the email and/ or web options, I doubt I would have
accessed Kids Help Line at all, and probably wouldn't have talked
to my GP until a lot later. Although email and web have their
flaws, for me they were the gateway to treatment. They gave me the
chance to speak (or type) on my terms, in a way that I was familiar
and comfortable with, and allowed me to do so when I felt I needed
to. This helped me to recognise that I was actually able to make a
difference in my own life, and was capable of expressing my issues
and concerns to help myself. Empowerment and self determination are
wonderful things.
However, I also think it's important to note that
although email, web and phone counselling are incredibly useful,
they are probably not as effective and don't have the same kind of
long term sustainability as face to face therapy does.
What advice
would you give a health care professional wanting to use technology
in their practice, including some practical examples?
Well, I guess my advice would depend on the
specific context the health care professional find themselves in.
There is, and I think there always will be, a place for face to
face counselling/ consultation, but I also think that technology
has the capability to further enhance the structures and systems we
already have. This might even include replacing some things!
For example, in between my sessions with a
psychologist, I was able to email him to let him know about things
that were really hanging on my mind at that moment. He offered me
that option because he learnt that when showed up for my sessions,
most of what had been bothering me all week seemed to disappear,
and I had trouble remembering the meaningful, important things I
needed to talk about. So occasionally I would put everything down
in an email, send it off to him, and we would address it together
in my next session. In a way I found it quite freeing, knowing that
I didn't have the pressure of remembering everything, and also
being able to release the thoughts and feelings when I was writing
the emails. I guess it was a kind of outlet for me; one that I knew
I could trust and would be meaningful and helpful in the long run
(or at least in my next session!).
I also really value the use of text messages. I
know a lot of people say that text messages, instant messaging,
emailing etc. takes away from simple human interaction, but I also
know how much help these functions can be when used appropriately.
Being able to text my counsellor to confirm, cancel or change
appointments is awesome. I don't fancy using phones to call people
at all, in fact it's safe to say I pretty much hate it, so having
the choice to text is far less stressful and much more effective
for me!
For health care professionals working in a larger
agency or organisation, I would recommend a welcoming, attractive
and useful website. We are taught to 'try before we buy', and to
research services before we use or trust them, so the internet is
quite naturally going to be the first port of call for many young
people. This may also happen because of anxiety around getting
help, fearing the unknown and/ or many other reasons. Having a
website with as much information about the service as possible, set
out in an inviting way, is vital in making a positive impression on
the young person (or anyone for that matter). It could be the
difference between that young person seeking help, or keeping
things to themselves.
Lastly, I think the model that Kids Help Line uses
with emails, web messaging and phone calls is excellent in being a
type of graded exposure to seeking help. Being able to choose which
one you start with lets you assess where your confidence and/ or
anxiety levels are at, and gives you a sense of ownership over
being able to make a positive decision for your own wellbeing.
Plus, I think it is great for young people under the age of 18. I
have friends who have been forced to see certain health
professionals because their parents wanted them to, and the outcome
never seems to be positive. If the young person is able to confide
in someone, and know that the content of the contact is
confidential (within duty of care boundaries), then help seeking
behaviours could begin to happen at earlier stages in young
people's lives.
What would you say to a health care
professional to convince them or to sway them into including
technologies in their treatment of young people?
It helps so much!
It's like; two people might look at the same
artwork at the same time. One person might absolutely love it, find
meaning in it, and be willing to spend millions of dollars on it.
The other person however, might stare at it for hours and still not
understand what the deal is, or why it is so brilliant. Does the
second person need to see the full extent of that brilliance to be
persuaded enough to support the first person in buying it
though?
If technology in health care (particularly mental
health) is proving to be so effective in the eyes of young people,
is this not reason enough for health care professionals to invest
time and energy in to it, despite skepticism or lack of true
understanding? Unless you are a young person experiencing issues
and using technology, will you ever know the full extent of its
benefits?!
What does technology mean to you?
To me, technology is an incredibly broad term used in reference
to the processes and objects which are created and used to
integrate various parts of society. When I think of the word
itself, I think of all the inventions we have in today's society
that have contributed to the process of globalisation; particularly
communication technology. This allows people to communicate despite
barriers which may have gotten in the way in the past.
What types of technology do you use in your day to day
life?
It almost feels like it would be easier to ask 'what types of
technology don't you use in your day to day life?'! I am one of
those young people who wouldn't function very effectively without
communication technology (though I did do the 40 Hour Famine from
technology this year )! However, I also don't let it rule my life.
Mostly I use wireless internet on my laptop, my mobile phone
(mostly just texting) and my ipod. Then there's other things that
are considered to be technology like tv, dvd player, stereo, radio,
gaming devices etc.
Have you sought treatment for any type of mental health
difficulties?
Somewhat unfortunately, yes. My "treatment" is ongoing
Would you tell me a little about them?
Sure. I guess the easiest way to explain my difficulties would
be with the labels/ diagnoses I have been given. My formal
psychiatric treatment started about two years ago, but I regret not
saying or doing anything sooner. Since then I have been diagnosed
with major depression, anxiety, social phobia, and most recently
bipolar disorder type 2 while exhibiting borderline personality
disorder traits. I don't generally like using labels, especially
because they don't reflect the complexity of my experiences and I
don't want them to define who I am. However, they attribute some
kind of legitimacy to my reality and even though my list is long
and ever changing, it seems to help other gain some perspective of
my difficulties.
What were your experiences with health care
professionals like?
At the start things were fine because I was being 'managed' by
my GP (who I've seen for the majority of my life). Soon after, when
the hunt for further help started though, things got worse. I saw a
private psychologist for a couple of months, but felt like she
didn't have any idea about young people and was treating me as if I
were a small child with a grazed knee. After that I refused to go
to anyone else, because I was so disheartened. Months later though,
I grudgingly agreed to see another private clinical psychologist.
My experience with him was much better, but he didn't do very well
at listening to what I was actually saying.
He seemed to have a progression of sessions he went through with
all young people, and failed to recognise that we are actually all
different, unique individuals. This culminated in the worst session
I have had to date, and forced me to realise that it was going to
take a lot of time, effort, and trial and error to find a therapist
I was able to trust and work with. After this, I was referred and
self presented to the public mental health system for various
reasons, on multiple occasions, but was turned away every time
because I was not deemed to be 'severe enough' for their services
despite my GP's concerns. At one point I was even told that I was
just going through a phase of low self esteem, and needed to grow
and love myself more!
Now though, things are much better. I eventually got in to see a
great private psychiatrist, and through her I have found an awesome
counsellor, did a number of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy sessions
with a psychologist and have had very positive experiences with
psychiatric ward/ hospital admissions.
What types of technology were used in your
sessions?
Before I had the courage to talk to my GP, I accessed Kids Help
Line via their email and web counselling services, and eventually
by phone. The support I received from my counsellor there was vital
in building my confidence enough to reach out to my GP.
Other than that, hardly any technology has been used. I was once
given a podcast to listen to on my ipod when I was driving, and
have been able to send text messages to a couple of therapists
(including my current one) to organise session times etc, but
that's about all (apart from making phone calls).
How do you think it would have/or did make a difference
to your treatment?
The technology used by Kids Help Line made SO much difference!
Being able to start with emailing, and progress through to web and
then phone counselling was fantastic. Although each stage was scary
and daunting as heck at the time, I can now see that with every
contact I made, I grew more and more confident, eventually ending
up being able to seek face to face support.
Without the email and/ or web options, I doubt I would have
accessed Kids Help Line at all, and probably wouldn't have talked
to my GP until a lot later. Although email and web have their
flaws, for me they were the gateway to treatment. They gave me the
chance to speak (or type) on my terms, in a way that I was familiar
and comfortable with, and allowed me to do so when I felt I needed
to. This helped me to recognise that I was actually able to make a
difference in my own life, and was capable of expressing my issues
and concerns to help myself. Empowerment and self determination are
wonderful things.
However, I also think it's important to note that although
email, web and phone counselling are incredibly useful, they are
probably not as effective and don't have the same kind of long term
sustainability as face to face therapy does.
What advice would you give a health care professional
wanting to use technology in their practice, including some
practical examples?
Well, I guess my advice would depend on the specific context the
health care professional find themselves in. There is, and I think
there always will be, a place for face to face counselling/
consultation, but I also think that technology has the capability
to further enhance the structures and systems we already have. This
might even include replacing some things!
For example, in between my sessions with a psychologist, I was
able to email him to let him know about things that were really
hanging on my mind at that moment. He offered me that option
because he learnt that when showed up for my sessions, most of what
had been bothering me all week seemed to disappear, and I had
trouble remembering the meaningful, important things I needed to
talk about.
So occasionally I would put everything down in an email, send it
off to him, and we would address it together in my next session. In
a way I found it quite freeing, knowing that I didn't have the
pressure of remembering everything, and also being able to release
the thoughts and feelings when I was writing the emails. I guess it
was a kind of outlet for me; one that I knew I could trust and
would be meaningful and helpful in the long run (or at least in my
next session!).
I also really value the use of text messages. I know a lot of
people say that text messages, instant messaging, emailing etc.
takes away from simple human interaction, but I also know how much
help these functions can be when used appropriately. Being able to
text my counsellor to confirm, cancel or change appointments is
awesome. I don't fancy using phones to call people at all, in fact
it's safe to say I pretty much hate it, so having the choice to
text is far less stressful and much more effective for me!
For health care professionals working in a larger agency or
organisation, I would recommend a welcoming, attractive and useful
website. We are taught to 'try before we buy', and to research
services before we use or trust them, so the internet is quite
naturally going to be the first port of call for many young people.
This may also happen because of anxiety around getting help,
fearing the unknown and/ or many other reasons. Having a website
with as much information about the service as possible, set out in
an inviting way, is vital in making a positive impression on the
young person (or anyone for that matter). It could be the
difference between that young person seeking help, or keeping
things to themselves.
Lastly, I think the model that Kids Help Line uses with emails,
web messaging and phone calls is excellent in being a type of
graded exposure to seeking help. Being able to choose which one you
start with lets you assess where your confidence and/ or anxiety
levels are at, and gives you a sense of ownership over being able
to make a positive decision for your own wellbeing. Plus, I think
it is great for young people under the age of 18. I have friends
who have been forced to see certain health professionals because
their parents wanted them to, and the outcome never seems to be
positive. If the young person is able to confide in someone, and
know that the content of the contact is confidential (within duty
of care boundaries), then help seeking behaviours could begin to
happen at earlier stages in young people's lives.
What would you say to a health care professional to
convince them or to sway them into including technologies in their
treatment of young people?
It helps so much!
It's like; two people might look at the same artwork at the same
time. One person might absolutely love it, find meaning in it, and
be willing to spend millions of dollars on it. The other person
however, might stare at it for hours and still not understand what
the deal is, or why it is so brilliant. Does the second person need
to see the full extent of that brilliance to be persuaded enough to
support the first person in buying it though?
If technology in health care (particularly mental health) is
proving to be so effective in the eyes of young people, is this not
reason enough for health care professionals to invest time and
energy in to it, despite skepticism or lack of true understanding?
Unless you are a young person experiencing issues and using
technology, will you ever know the full extent of its
benefits?!