March 2008

In this newsletter:

1) Fast Help: Mental Health Parity
2) Therapist Q&A
3) Reading Recommendations — NEW SECTION!!
4) Clinic Announcements

1) Mental Health Parity

You may have noticed in the national news that the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. Prior, it had cleared the Senate. This bill, if signed by President Bush, would mandate that insurance companies offer the same levels of coverage for mental health and substance abuse disorders as they would for physical/medical disorders, if the insurance plan offers coverage for both. For years, because of severe treatment limitations, many people were denied the care that they needed due to lack of adequate coverage of mental health and substance abuse services. This would be a milestone for the field of mental health as most patients would finally have the coverage to be able to get the treatment they deserve without discrimination. The new legislation will require insurance plans of employers with 50 or more employees to offer equal coverage for mental and substance abuse disorders as they would for physical/medical disorders. Paul Wellstone, a U.S. Senator from Minnesota who fought for years for mental health parity, died in 2002.

2) Therapist Q&A:

Can you please comment on the relationship between depression and the workplace?

Depression is a disease that can be caused by genetics, a history or trauma, or coexisting medical or psychiatric disorders. Depression limits one’s ability to be happy or cope with many areas of one’s life. When left untreated, depression costs America billions of dollars per year in lost productivity. At work, depression can limit one’s capacity to perform at optimal levels, contributes to lost days of work, and affects morale and relationships between workers. Further, left untreated, depression can lead to substance abuse (alcohol or other drugs) which adversely affect the workplace in terms of productivity and safety. If a family member suffers from depression, it can also create a domino effect for the workplaces of relatives as it contributes to lost work and productivity.

There is help for employees who suffer from depression as well as for their families. In addition to employer-sponsored health plans (some provide mental health benefits), many employers today offer employee assistance programs where trained professionals are able to assist with the assessment of employee personal problems. They often will refer cases warranting treatment to an appropriate resource such as counseling to address the concerns. Such programs are confidential and free to employees. If you don’t know where to turn, ask a human resources representative for assistance.

Below is a link to an online brief depression screening which asks about various symptoms of depression that can affect success in the workplace: Depression Screening

3) Reading Recommendations

Therapist Tom Kent, LCSW, recommends:

I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terrence Real. Real addresses the innate sense so many men carry that depression is a sign of weakness and defeat. He posits that men are socialized to sublimate an inner sense of worthlessness in over work, alcoholism, abuse, rage, and avoidance of intimacy by keeping others at a distance. He suggests the cycle of depression is passed on to men’s children by sharing their pain with them. He suggests a hopeful path of recovery and reclaiming of one’s authentic self by identifying the original pain or loss, entering into the feelings of pain with a competent therapist, learning to take steps into authentic intimacy that begin with acceptance of one’s self. Real’s down-to-earth and common sense approach serves to de-mystify the cloud of fear that often over shadows mental health issues in men. As a man
myself, I was readily able to identify with his descriptions of loss and common reactions he describes. It’s a helpful tool for men who seem to get hung up about seeking therapy by helping them understand that feelings of darkness are common and widespread among men while rarely discussed openly.

Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix. Getting the Love You Want is a helpful tool for couples seeking to rebuild their relationship following pain and hurt, but is also very applicable for those who seek to simply move past a rut where they have begun to take each other for granted. Hendrix’ approach is well grounded in family history as the basis for teaching us how to be men and women, how to relate with each other, how to be parents and more. He understands family history as the facet that defines our perspective of “normal.” Hendrix provides many exercises and tools for couples that help them understand their partner’s history and framework for normal. By growing in this awareness, Hendrix leads us to understand our partners better, to anticipate their needs and desires, and to relate better. He also provides material for couples to plan a new kind of normal together as they move into the future. This book is a resource I often comment to couples for ongoing maintenance of their relationship after therapy ends.

Client/subscriber recommendation:

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. “Building on the astonishing success of The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle presents readers with an honest look at the current state of humanity: He implores us to see and accept that this state, which is based on an erroneous identification with the egoic mind, is one of dangerous insanity. Tolle tells us there is good news, however. There is an alternative to this potentially dire situation. Humanity now, perhaps more than in any previous time, has an opportunity to create a new, saner, more loving world. This will involve a radical inner leap from the current egoic consciousness to an entirely new one. In illuminating the nature of this shift in consciousness, Tolle describes in detail how our current ego-based state of consciousness operates. Then gently, and in very practical terms, he leads us into this new consciousness. We will come to experience who we truly are—which is something infinitely greater than anything we currently think we are—and learn to live and breathe freely” (Amazon.com description).

We welcome the titles and authors of any appropriate books you have found to be particularly useful. We may then share them in this newsletter and on our website (your name will be withheld for confidentiality purposes). If you have a book you'd like to share, please send the title, author, and a brief description to cpa@wi.rr.com.

4) Clinic News

We are accepting new clients at this time. If you know anyone who you think would benefit from counseling or a consultation with us, please have him or her give us a call. We thank you in advance for any referrals you provide.