Although we are now relatively open to the idea that it is “good to talk”, most of our emotional support comes from informal sources rather than professionalsd in the “talk-based” therapies, according to the latest Bristish Social Attitudes report, published by NatCen.
The report finds a widespread view among the public that emotions are discussed more freely nowadays: 68 percent of people say it is important for them to be able to talk about their feelings. However, there is wariness about the idea of seeking psychotherapy or counselling: 43 percent would not want anyone to know if they had been to see a therapist, and 35 percent say they understand little about therapy.
There is also little evidence of reliabce on formal emotional support: four out of ten people have discussed their emotional lives at some point with a health professional. But the most common source of support is a GP: 31 percent of people have talked to their doctor about these issues, and 16 percent have used a professional “talk-based” therapist.People who have had serious mental health problems, or who have low levels of mental wellbeing, are particularly likely to have used formal emotional support. Poorer people, however, are likely to have used prescription medication at times of emotional difficulty.
Julie Brownlie, co-author of the report, comments:”Some have claimed that professional emotional support has come to occupy a dominant role in our lives. This appears premature. Informal social relationships continue to occupy a hugely important role in most people´s lives, while formal emotional support – and especially the use of talk-based therapies – remains relatively rare.”
NatCen. Source: Therapy Today
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