Bridging the gap.

Bridging the gap between mental health professionals and communities.

This is a topic that I believe in passionately. Generally speaking, there is a gap between any community and any type of mental health care professional. For the most part, this is not an intended gap. 

However, due to the fact that there is a shortage of skilled mental health care workers and the stigma attached to general society for reaching out for help (it can be seen as weak) this perceived gap is forever widened. This is especially towards mental health conditions, which include addiction, as addiction according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5 is considered a mental health condition. Another smaller reason for the gap is that mental health professionals are held to a higher standard and can be seen as “different” to other people which can result in people staying away, having other views of these professionals and even having feelings of disappointment towards those professionals. 

A potential way of removing this gap is for our mental health professionals to offer and take part in activities that are approachable and allow the professional to be seen in a more “normal” light, such as offering sporting activities as a therapeutic process, or developing other fun activities such as hiking, visiting museums etc. We need to start being seen as more accessible and be creative on how we assist people as opposed to only offering traditional assistance (which still does have a place).

By Roberto Ferreira – Director of The Recovery Foundation