Article archive / March 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 7. Source pages: 14.
Media matters to Louisiana psychology because the public, consumers of our services, partakers of our knowledge, are confused about who we are. For decades people have asked me, “What’s the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?”
On those occasions, too numerous to count, I have taken time to help someone understand what distinguishes psychologists from psychiatrists, ways in which our training and work differ, only to go to another event where yet another person introduces me as a psychiatrist.
Other awkward moments have come when I’ve seen acquaintances at local shops or civic functions who have introduced me, perhaps in jest, to their friends as “their” psychologist, compelling me to pause and explain politely what constitutes a professional relationship.
Have you ever been at a party at which people have grown quickly quiet when they learn you are a psychologist, for fear that you might discover their secret problems and judge them harshly? To those fearful folks I simply say that “I am off duty,” and watch them visibly relax.
Most frustrating to me was the time I was at a reception where someone overheard me say that I was a psychologist and loudly proclaimed, “You’re too normal to be a psychologist.”
We have got to do a better job of marketing ourselves to everyone, to those who need services, legislate laws, make referrals, and determine payments. We have a duty to our profession and an obligation to the public we serve to organize a media assault on ignorance and confusion about psychology.
Kelsey Grammer, as Frazier Crane, gave psychiatrists a great name recognition boost through his long-running and award-winning show. A previous generation laughed through Bob Newhart’s bumbling ways as psychologist Robert Hartley.
Our reality is far from funny, however. With licensed professional counselors actively seeking expansion of testing privileges, and the blurring of boundaries between medical psychologists and psychiatrists, we are in crisis.
As a media specialist, I interact with diverse groups of people in a vast array of settings. I urge you to join with me, uniting harmoniously as members of the professional psychology family, to reach every corner of our state with media messages about who we are and why we matter.
Next month I will offer some concrete ways to pursue this objective. Meanwhile, please email me, at mediaservices@drsusandardard.com, with your own experiences and suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.