By Sharkspeare March 12, 2014
When someone calls an office for counseling, usually it is because they are suffering in some way. So I am not sure why a mental health office would hire a receptionist who is gruff, curt, abrupt, rapid-fires questions at you and cuts you off as you try to answer, and hangs up on callers in crisis. If the professional staff at this office consider this acceptable behavior for a receptionist at a mental health office, I shudder to think at the quality of care of the actual therapists and counselors who work there. After trying for three days to get an appointment, not getting called back as promised, and finally calling back in despair and being hung up on mid-question, I gave up. ...read more
By Sharkspeare March 12, 2014
When someone calls an office for counseling, usually it is because they are suffering in some way. So I am not sure why a mental health office would hire a receptionist who is gruff, curt, abrupt, rapid-fires questions at you and cuts you off as you try to answer, and hangs up on callers in crisis. If the professional staff at this office consider this acceptable behavior for a receptionist at a mental health office, I shudder to think at the quality of care of the actual therapists and counselors who work there. After trying for three days to get an appointment, not getting called back as promised, and finally calling back in despair and being hung up on mid-question, I gave up. ...read more
By patrica272 February 06, 2014
Everyone is so nice and helpful! ...read more
Kuna John G PSYD&Associates is your psychological counselor and therapist in Scranton, Pennsylvania. You can find solutions to your depression and anxiety with our therapy. We can help you move beyond your past trauma in our safe, gentle setting therapy. Our counseling services are available for individuals, couples, and children. Each of our counselors has unique training and experience. You can also get treatment for your addiction with an experienced counselor. We create relationship harmony with our couples counseling. We accept most insurance and a sliding scale is available to pay for your care. We can help you to fulfill various individualneedswith our qualified therapists. ...read more
By Kuna John G Psyd & Associates June 25, 2014
Years ago there was a Saturday Night Live skit that took place in a psychologist’s office. The patient would come in, sit on a big comfy couch and disclose their issues to the prototypical, turtleneck wearing therapist. The hypothetical client would present with, say, depression as the therapist nodded empathically. When the client had finished talking, the therapist would lean over his mahogany desk and yell, “Well? Just stop being sad!” This continued on through several disorders, and the therapist’s response was always the same: “Well? Just stop being anxious!” While initially somewhat humorous (for the first 60 seconds at least), the SNL skit portrays an all too common perception about mental illness: that a disease of the mind can be controlled—as opposed to say a disease of the body. No one says, “Well, just stop having the flu!” If the prevailing assumption is that mental illness can be somehow controlled, then those who suffer from a mental illness are perceived as weaker and inferior. The reality, however, is that with more advanced research being conducted, experts are arriving at a fuller understanding of the biological, neurological, physiological and developmental origins of many pathologies. Like beauty, stigma is in the eye of the beholder. And as the SNL example shows, the media unfortunately contributes to the perpetuation of stereotypes of people with mental illness. Stereotypes place people in neat little categories, exaggerating differences between groups and creating a false “us vs. them” mentality. Similar to other prejudices (racial, ethnic, etc.), stereotypes foster an environment that makes “them” easier to dismiss, so that the one who stigmatizes can maintain social distance. We like to think we live in enlightened society: technological advancements have made our lives more comfortable, and, for the most part, we have become more aware and sensitive to existing cultural diversity. Sadly, however, an enlightened and sensitive reception towards individuals with mental illness is not yet a universal reality. No doubt, as a society we have thankfully matured well beyond the cruelty and inhumanity of asylums, where the mentally ill were chained at all times, hardly fed, and left rest in their own waste. We have certainly come a long way in just over 200 years, when the initial humanitarian reforms of asylums began by Philippe Pinel in 1792. Although the stigma of mental illness is no longer so blatant, it certainly exists. A recent study by Crispet al.(2000) surveying over 1,700 adults in the UK discovered some surprisingly disturbing conclusions: 1) that those with a mental illness—particularly schizophrenia, alcoholism and substance abuse—were perceived as dangerous, 2) alcoholism, substance abuse and eating disorders were seen as self-inflicted, and finally 3) those with mental illness were perceived as difficult to talk to. Perhaps even more surprising is that over 50% of the respondents in this survey personally knew someone with a mental illness. Another study(Moses, 2010)reports the impact of mental health stigma on teens:62% of these teens surveyed noted social rejection and loss of friendship when stigmatized by their peers, 35% reported stigma from teachers in the form of gossip, fear, pity, avoidance and under-estimation of abilities, and 46% of these teens reported similar results in the form of parental stigmatization. Recent research suggests that 1in 4 Americans have a mental illness. That means that of the myriad people that you will come in contact with over the course of your day, there is a very high likelihood that one of them, as the saying goes, “is fighting a great battle…so be kind.” Yet we know that nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental illness will not seek treatment. Why?Lack of knowledge, fear of disclosure, rejection of friends, and discrimination at the work place are a few reasons why people with mental illness don’t seek help. As with any prejudice (racial, ethnic or sexual), the stigma of those suffering with a mental illness can be overcome in simple, but powerful ways: 1) be conscious of stigmatizing language: the illness does not define the person: there are individuals with schizophrenia, not ‘schizophrenics’. No one says, “Oh, Sally, yes she’s a cystic fribrosis-er.” Instead we would say, “She has cystic fibrosis.” 2) Educate others, and speak out against stereotypes. Seek out community programs that foster education and sensitivity and finally, 3) seek out support: approximately 70-90% of individuals with mental illness lead healthier lives with treatment. In the end, everyone you meet is fighting a great battle, so be kind. About: This article was written by Phillip J. Kuna and was previously published in the Abington Journal. Phillip is Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at Marywood University, and is completing his MA in Clinical Psychology. He is affiliated with John G. Kuna, PsyD and Associates Counseling services. If you would like more information on our mental health services please don’t hesitate to call (570-961-3361), visithttp://johngkunapsydandassociates.com/or find us on Facebook for more information. References: Crisp, A. H. et al. (2000). Stigmatisation of people with mental illness.The British Journal of Psychiatry,1774-7. doi: 10.1192/bjp.177.1.4 Moses, T. (2000). Being treated differently: Stigma experiences with family, peers and school staff among adolescents with mental health disorders.Social Science&Medicine;,70(7), 985-993. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.12.0022 ...read more
By John G. Kuna, PsyD and Associates April 01, 2014
Mental health care referral can be a scary process for many people. Going to a doctor or medical setting to get assessed for mental health services may be more scary than the mental illness. Although a doctor or qualified mental health provider will still have to approve the services, it is quite easy... ...read more
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs in people who have suffered a significant trauma such as a victim of a violent crime, or a soldier who has been deployed to a combat zone. Often times, suffers of PTSD find themselves reliving the trauma which makes it difficult and stressful for them to mov... ...read more
