GOOD PSYCH - BAD PSYCH

A debut guide to navigating the diverse world of mental health care.

Australian clinical psychologist Thomas has spent a lot of time contemplating how to eradicate the inadequate psychological services that he calls the “kryptonite” of his country’s mental health system. In these pages, he describes how that system prioritizes “expediency and profit…over public benefit and safety,” by allowing “anyone…regardless of their competence and credentials” to practice psychology. In the book’s first part, he defines the danger of this state of affairs with case histories of patients who’ve endured what he terms “bad psych.” For example, he relates the case of Jake,a 24-year-old man with probable borderline personality disorder who was misdiagnosed by doctors in his local primary health network and by other nonpsychologists; he eventually committed suicide, and the author analyzes the poor treatment he received before this tragic end. The book’s second part outlines what Thomas sees as the ideal attributes of a practitioner of “good psych”; these include “technical competencies,” such as a deep knowledge of cognitive development theories, and the ability to work within a patient’s “unconscious material as well as what is obviously apparent.” Although some of the services and therapies mentioned in this book are specific to Australia, such as Jigsaw Mental Health and Headspace National Youth Mental Services, readers in other countries will still find much of the work’s straightforward, solid advice to be accessible. However, although Thomas admits up front to being “salty, both in personality and humour,” his writing style may be off-putting to some readers, who may interpret his frequent use of the word crap to describe poor practices (“​​the social worker likely does a crap job of psychological formulation”) as unprofessional.

Sound psychological advice that’s weakened by flippant delivery.