July 02nd, 2025

- Written by Dr May Chi, Clinical Psychologist, Supervisor and Occasional Soapboxer at PsychLab.

I’m back teaching my favourite course for Trimester 2.  By now, my staff know to make allowances for me during this time because things just fall off my plate (I’m writing this to dispel the myth that I’m some sort of superhuman that does it all, and also to temper expectations for Lab Report August… if there is one).

This year, I’ve been reflecting on the lens of counselling v clinical psychology.  In a time when applied psychology is mostly known and synonymous with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, I fear that the philosophy and precision of our profession may be lost to this over time. Psychology is much more than mental illness.  Mental illness is only one lens through which we conceptualise the human experience.  There is so much more -

Let’s take for example, an existential approach, which helps us ponder the meaning of existence.  From this approach, we can see that a person becomes though choosing, creating, and perpetuating their way of being in the world, in an ever emerging and unfolding paradox.  Rather than a focus on ‘illness’, the existential approach is an unwavering understanding of suffering, of reducing unnecessary distress, and of contending with life’s challenges, on the path of finding meaning.  Someone who has no motivation or joy towards their work isn’t necessarily ‘depressed’, they may wonder about the purpose of their work, or their life.  Helping people find meaning and purpose can unlock their vitality.

And let’s take for another example, a behaviourist approach.  My favourite.  Behaviourism is like any other ‘ism’, it is a philosophy about how things work in the world.  A behaviourist’s perspective is that all behaviour occurs within a context. What we do is evoked by the contingencies of our environment. Understanding how things function is more important than the form that the thing takes.  So, if someone doesn’t say hello and goodbye, or look at people when they are talking, they’re not ‘autistic’, they may be attending to other important information in their environment.  Helping people understand and choose their own behaviour, towards their own desired outcomes, is important in improving the way people get their needs met.

And last, but certainly not least, let’s consider a systems perspective.  Systemic approaches understand that we always exist within a system that includes other humans. Systems make sense in terms of the reason the system exists.  For example, a family’s functioning doesn’t make sense without the understanding that families exist because we need each other to live, and there are tasks essential to a family’s wellbeing and progression.  Families also go through life cycles.  So, if an adolescent breaks the rules, this is not a ‘conduct disorder’, this is an emotional transition process where families with adolescents are increasing family boundary flexibility to accommodate the growth and independence of some of its members. Helping all members of the family understand this is essential for the family’s growth.
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And still, there are more ways.

It makes it hard sometimes when I am writing reports or checking and co-signing other reports.  There’s doesn’t seem to be scope within certain structures to truly practice psychology to its full extent.  Still, I keep trying, because I still have another 30 years or so in the profession, and I want to be a part of keeping our skills sharp and our perspectives broad.