Non-professional Helpers: The Therapist Behind the Bar

By very definition, this is not the best or even a good, form of therapy. However, that having been said, only a small fraction of those who need mental health consultation actually take their problems to professional practitioners. There are many very good reasons for this, and some not so good:

1. There is still stigma attached to the fact that an individual may have mental health problems.
2. Many people think that the mental health professional possesses far too much power. See Power and the Social Service/Mental Health Professions.
3. Many people doubt the qualifications of many health care professionals and do not trust them.
4. Many people have had a "bad" experience with so-called professionals in the past.
5. Some professional practitioners have their own hidden agendas. That is: They may be doing research in order to obtain a degree or doctorate. They may be striving to build a name for themselves in the profession. They may wish to open their own clinic.
6. Many psychiatrists will put or attempt to put all their patients on mandatory drug therapy
7. Professional help is often costly, The person in need of some kind of help views professional help as being too expensive for them to be able to afford.
8. Such services may be inaccessible, to people living in remote areas, or in small towns.
9. Available services may not suit a particular person's ideology.
10. The individual may simply not want to admit that the problem could require professional attention.

It's Largely a Matter of Trust

Family Service workers, Social workers and Mental health professionals, government officials, in general,  are NOT trusted--and as Canadian history has shown, often with good reason--Professionals, of all types, desperately, need--to clean up their acts. In any case, most people find it more comfortable to seek solace and advice from a trusted person in a natural setting, or even an anonymous person on a social "chat line" than to trust an unknown professional.

A 1960 survey revealed that less than a fifth of those who saw themselves as having psychological problems went to mental health professionals; clergy and physicians handled the problems of two-thirds of these people. It seems possible that the proportion of informal help today is far greater. There is increasing recognition that neighbours, hairdressers, work supervisors, bartenders, cab drivers--even seat-mates on buses  and planes--engage in a helping relationship with an individual or individuals who are troubled
As might be expected, the kinks of problems people discuss and the kind of help they receive vary with the context. One study focused on four groups engaged in giving informal help: barbers, hairdressers, divorce lawyers, industrial supervisors,, and bartenders. The investigators found that the major problems discussed with hairdressers involved children, health, and relationships. Barbers and bartenders most often heard about marital, job, and money problems. Divorce lawyers tend to deal with anger at the spouse, depression, and problems with spouse contacts-sex. Supervisors dealt mainly with problems with fellow workers, problems with alcohol/drugs, advancement opportunities, and job restlessness. Such problems are, in fact, similar to those handled by mental health professionals.
The " strategies" that the non-professionals used to help their troubled clients and customers ranged from"acceptable to "naive" to "very dangerous" by professional mental health standards. Listening and offering support, and empathy were major responses on the part of all groups-- in most cases, this is acceptable, and can even be of great help.The lawyers tended, in addition, to ask questions, and give advice--this can be very, very dangerous. Any time a not fully qualified and experienced person gives any kind of advice it can be---is very apt to be--dangerous, point out some consequences of bad ideas, propose alternatives, and of course, ask for payment.The hairdressers and barbers, more than other groups, also made use of the less acceptable strategy of changing the topic or telling people to count their blessings. Barbers, bartenders, and hairdressers also accepted a light-hearted approach, which may or may not be an appropriate strategy, depending on the severity of a person's unhappy mental state which they had absolutely no way to ascertain.
All of the categories of helpers generally felt comfortable with their role. For the most part, they were happy to listen to peoples problems and accepted the fact that the "therapy" they perform is part of the job--and sometimes the most important aspect of it. Sometimes it is the main reason that they got into their particular line of work in the first place. One hairdresser put it this way: " To be perfectly truthful, I regard myself a B- hairdresser. But my business is booming Mostly that's because I listen to people, care about their personal concerns, and try to be helpful. The guy down the street is really an A+ hairdresser--one of the best in town. But he's going to go out of business because he can't stand people and is incapable of listening sympathetically to anyone's problems."
All groups view their efforts as moderately effective. In most cases, they make no claims to being experts. Unquestionably, they provide a useful service, simply by listening, and lending support, We have all realized how therapeutic it is, AT TIMES simply to "talk out" our problems. Beyond that, much risk is attached to any attempts to give advice or to make light of potentially serious problems. Consider how a suicidal person might feel if his or her despair were laughed at or discounted. Also, some deeply troubled people may be misled into thinking that informal help is adequate, and therefore fail to seek the professional guidance they may in fact need. It is important, then that people from all walks of life be informed about what symptoms are serious and when professional help is truly called for. No, the professionals are not perfect but it is their field of expertise and there is usually more than one professional option available.