As summer is slowly slipping away from our hands, I have been trying to make the most of the weather, the culture as well as firing my neurons\u2014almost like buffering up for the colder months. I have been trying to diversify my counselling portfolio, trying to work with clients from different areas and also keep my private practice alive.<\/p>\n
One of the dilemmas that I face often-I do not know if it is self imposed or it is circumstantial \u2026it has to\u00a0 do with refusing\u00a0 clients who are not able to pay my fees at all. I have often done pro bono work\u00a0 on one hand\u00a0 that always challenges me financially and on the other hand\u00a0 I am trying to break down the\u00a0 \u2018isms\u2019 and always looking at the ways in which to accommodate clients irrespective of their\u00a0 socio-econominc status. I always feel at the back of my mind that financial\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0affordability should not stop me from offering my services. \u00a0Many clients are on welfare and some of them are just poor and I refer them to free services\u2026. so does that mean that in some way I am biased and that I have issues with \u2018classism\u2019. There is also a vast amount of literature exploring the role of class in terms of psychotherapy. Proctor (2002) writes clients are more likely to be poorer than their therapists and from a working class rather than middle class background. Tidwell (1992) argues that crisis counselling is the preferred format of therapy for the underclass with an emphasis in therapy upon issues which she sees are significant, for example issues around low income, health problems and stressful life events. She argues it is the preferred format because it is inexpensive, brief and symptom oriented. \u00a0I do not know if that is the most appropriate way of delivering the service but if clients who really need my service and can\u2019t pay $100 an hour, am I not\u00a0 practicing what I am\u00a0 advocating, that being free of \u2018isms\u2019 in my practice? Well that is something for me to explore for the rest of the summer.<\/p>\n
Reference<\/p>\n