Rosa Melgar: Psychology goes beyond stigmas

Psychologist Rosa Melgar talks to us about the prejudices that still exist about psychotherapy.

Historically, until not so long ago, it was assumed that psychological or psychiatric problems were something practically toxic, either a manifestation of evil, first, or a disease of the soul, later. This has caused an irrational stigma to be maintained over the centuries against those who feel unwell or present mental disturbances.

Fortunately, psychology and psychiatry have managed to broaden our conception of what mental health is: experiencing problems in these aspects does not mean that we are no longer human or deserve discriminatory treatment compared to the rest of the population.

On this occasion we will talk about overcoming this stigma with Rosa Melgar Morenopsychologist based in Madrid with more than 15 years of experience attending to patients with all kinds of needs and sensitivities.

Rosa Melgar: overcoming stigma in psychotherapy

Rosa Melgar talks to us in this interview about how harmful it has been (and continues to be) to assume that psychotherapy is "for crazy people", and the way in which the usefulness of psychological intervention does not understand separations between "healthy" and "unhealthy".

Is the idea that only those with serious psychiatric disorders go to a psychologist still valid?

Without having statistical data to prove it, I can say categorically "yes". And not so much serious psychiatric disorders, which are perhaps framed more in the context of hospitals, but the person who goes to the psychologist is stigmatized as immature, weak or simply not knowing how to deal with the daily problems "that we all have". In other words, the psychological problem is minimized to such an extent that the person who is experiencing it, if not suffering from it, is devalued.

Do you notice that, even in those who are attending their first therapy session, there are certain prejudices about what is going to be done in the psychological intervention?

Normally the person who comes for consultation has already overcome this obstacle.... either because people they trust "convince" them of the benefits of therapy or psychological counseling, or because the media gives a more realistic image of what it means to go to a psychologist's office or, on many occasions, because people in their immediate environment have had contact with clinical psychology having experienced some problem in this area.... and overcome it with good results, of course.

What do you think has contributed most to the fact that the stigma about what it means to go to psychotherapy has weakened so much in recent decades?

As mentioned above, undoubtedly the media and, in particular, television. For example, on repeated occasions on the news, psychological help in crisis situations is mentioned: accidents, floods, etc. On the other hand, there are programs, let's call them "serious" in which a psychologist appears as part of the discussion table or talk show.

Finally, in recent years, there have been several programs with personal problems, mostly related to children and young people, which were conducted by a psychologist. All this has made it possible to disseminate the action of clinical psychology as a discipline that, like other health professions, contributes to the quality of life of the person, without the need for them to have a "psychiatric disorder".....

What are the benefits that applied psychology can bring to areas that go beyond mental health?

One setting where the work of psychologists is fundamental is in the field of education. And I am not referring to the treatment of children's problems that can extend to the classroom.

I am talking about the indispensable contribution of developmental psychology and neuropsychology to establish not only curricular contents suitable for each and every child in our schools or institutes. For the establishment of educational laws, politicians should be guided by the criteria of teachers, pedagogues, psychologists and neuropsychologists. These should be the ones who form the bulk of the work team that legislators would then have to flesh out into law.

If you had to highlight three non-clinical work contexts where more psychologists are needed, which ones would you say?

Recovering my previous answer, in the professional teams advising legislators on education (of course with a specific weight).

In schools and institutes as teachers of subjects that should be key in the academic curriculum of any child and adolescent: development of own criteria, social skills, assertiveness, self-esteem, teamwork, development of skills such as tolerance, respect, ... Hopefully the day will come when these contents are taught in classrooms with the same effort in which mathematics, language or knowledge of the environment are taught. Without wishing to compare, I do not know which are more valuable for the future in the life of each person.

In the media, participating in informative programs not only about psychology, but also about current issues where the opinion of a psychologist can give rise to deeper and more beneficial analyses for society as a whole.

In terms of the skills that psychologists must have in order to adapt to all these areas of intervention and work with people, which do you think are most important?

I will give the greatest importance to the knowledge, to the training that the psychologist has in the area of work where he/she develops his/her work. It is essential to have an extensive and deep knowledge of what you are talking about in order to be able to convince your interlocutor, whoever he or she may be, with scientific arguments that do not give rise to negative assessments or doubts as to their validity.

And, of course, speaking of interlocutors, the psychologist must adapt his or her language to the profile of the person or persons with whom he or she is interacting. No matter how much and how good you know, if the person you are addressing does not understand you, your communication will not be very effective...

Finally, whether you are a psychologist or any other professional or person of greater or lesser qualification, for me modesty and honesty are fundamental as inseparable companions when dealing with a situation of whatever vital level, but always when there are people involved.