Posts by Kyle MacDonald

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  • Up Front: Professional Counsel, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    Hi Jackie, This isn't free but it is partially funded and they have a generous sliding scale based on means:
    http://www.griefcentre.org.nz

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Professional Counsel, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    I totally agree Bart. And Increasingly I've been thinking this week, is health services and profit driven models just fundamentally incompatible? Is it even possible to do this ethically?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Professional Counsel,

    In my utopia, there would be funding available to all New Zealander's eligible for health care, to spend on up to 12 sessions? per year of therapy, without question or need to justify. You could just have it. I suspect the long term economic and health savings would more than justify it, and for those who needed more, for whatever reason that could then be funded on a case by case basis. That would go a long way towards making it acceptable and reducing the stigma.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel, in reply to ,

    You're absolutely right. The key factor for a successful treatment outcome, that has been shown in many different studies, is the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client, i.e. the match.

    This is more important that the profession, the model of therapy or any other factor by a country mile. Despite what people will tell you about the style of therapy, it only matters to the extent that there is training in a particular approach and that the therapist has fidelity to that model.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel,

    Of course lets not forget talking therapy has very few, if any side effects. And is recommended by NICE ahead of medication for that, amongst other reasons.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel, in reply to Kyle MacDonald,

    I'm actually going to retract my ranty comments about APN, just spoken to them and they're ken to keep pursuing this, so good for them, retractions and back downs were Sovereigns, and it seems that this story may indeed have some legs yet!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel, in reply to Judith Fursdon,

    Fortunately that was an error, their is no drop from 16 to four. In fact due to ongoing political pressure and work by the Greens and the NZAP, ACC are bucking the current trend.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel, in reply to Judith Fursdon,

    At best ignorance, at worst malfeasance.

    The world of insurance is a largely heartless, bottom line driven industry. What they can get way with, largely they will.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel,

    Hi all. When I was originally approached for comment for this story, the whole story was hung on a quote the reporter had managed to get from Sovereign that "How do we even know that talk therapy works anyway". Sadly in the editing process this quote disappeared, presumably because Sovereign advertise with APN, justified in terms of "balance".
    The real story here is unethical incompetence by the Chief Medical Officer at Sovereign. But sadly, Judith Collins has made more or less the same argument about the removal of relationship counselling from the Family Court processes.

    It stuns me we're still having this conversation. Therapy is AT LEAST as effective as counselling in most cases, and in some MORE. Further effect size (how much it works) is bigger and the relapse rate is lower.

    Thanks for this post, and for keeping the conversation going.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

  • Hard News: If wishing made it so ..., in reply to Sarah Wedde,

    Not to mention this pseudo health review will be carried out by non-health professionals, who are answerable to no board, review or clinical oversight.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 82 posts Report

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