The global state of mental health is in decline as more people than ever before report living with chronic mental distress, more people are on psychotropic medications, and more are dying by suicide, not less. Effective therapists are in high demand, yet graduate programs are churning out new therapists who are trained to diagnose and treat the diagnosis rather than the human being. The model and approach clearly aren't working, but the train keeps barreling down the tracks. What are new therapists being taught? This week, I sit down with Hannah and Kate, two women who are in the process of becoming therapists. One in grad school, one just out, they share their reasons for entering the field and what, they are learning, it's going to take to be effective. I'll confess: their compassion and intuition gave me hope that the human being is still the most essential requirement, not the degree.
