Critical approaches

What does critical mean anyway?

On this blog and at our meetings we will often talk about being critical or using critical approaches. Whether it’s in relation to psychology, psychiatry or another related field, we will be using the word in much the same way. But there may be some of you who are unsure what it really means and whether it’s something you want to get involved with.

So, in an effort things a bit clearer I thought it would be useful to offer a brief explanation.

To do so I have read the introductory chapter from Kagan, C., Burton, M., Duckett, P., Lawthom, R., & Siddiquee, A. (2011). Critical Community Psychology (1st ed.).

The word ‘critical’ is often used in common language to express opposition to or disapproval of a topic. A person who is a critic opposes and takes an ‘anti’ stance against all topics. As Kagan and colleagues write there is no method to this, just an individual voice saying whatever they like. This is largely destructive and not very productive.

Rather, the ‘critical’ we want to engage with is similar to the word critique and comes from the school of thought called critical theory. This group of scholars would critique a social phenomenon by applying a more general theory of human society, as it’s frame of reference. The purpose of this is to understand the phenomenon in terms of the contradictions that are inherent in society. For example you might apply a feminist theory of patriarchal practices to a local labour relations issue. By applying this broad, more general theory, you will understand the phenomenon differently to how you would otherwise have if you read it simply at face value. This may add to your level of overall understanding of that phenomenon and the critique will reveal the assumptions behind the phenomenon that would otherwise remain as unspoken rationalised truths. Some of these may be contradictory and not in the interests in a certain group in society and so social change may take place.

Critical approaches to psychology (and psychiatry) could therefore critique the cornerstones of the discipline such as the scientist-practitioner model, evidence based practice, psychiatric diagnosis, talking therapy, psychiatric medications etc. Really the list is endless. By critiquing these areas we do not necessarily oppose them, although we reserve the right to, but rather we hope to reveal the parts of the phenomenon that are excluded from or minimised by the dominant narrative.

If you are interested in watching critique in action then check out this Slavoj Zizek clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxrqzNpuf94 -the first 3 or 4 min in particular are great.

Topic for first meeting

At our first meeting we will be discussing 'what is psychology?'.

When we say that word what do we mean? When we say that we work within the discipline how does that shape the work that we do, the services we work within, and the people we work with?

To provide some sort of an anchor for our discussions we have picked a short chapter from Guy Holmes' book 'psychology in the real world'. Which, by the way is a great book! I'll bring along my copy to the meeting so that people can have a flick through it.

We have been given permission to reproduce the chapter (no. 2 'what is meant by psychology') and share it with those who are attending. I will email out a copy to everyone on the list two weeks beforehand.

So..... if you haven't done so already contact me on aidanjakelly[at]gmail.com and put your name on the email list.

Here are some possible topics for future discussions:

1. The use of academic/ professional language. How it can exclude or marginalise consumers and maintain professionals privileged positions.
2. ECT- good, bad or ugly?
3. Diagnosis, who wins and who losses by using the DSM and ICD?
4. Politics and mental health- can clinicians really be a-political? Do we not treat the symptoms of a sick society?
5. Symptom reduction as the goal. What are the pro's and con's of a system that is set up that way?
6. RCT's as the gold standard in research- what are the pitfalls? 
7. "The literature states that CBT is the best evidenced treatment for X disorder". What does that mean for all other modalities? How useful are things like the NICE guidelines? Are we evidence-based practitioners if we don't use CBT?
8. What is mental illness? Does it really mean that your mind is ill? How about dis-order? When do you stop being abnormal and become normal? Prevalence rates of certain disorders have sky-rocketed (e.g. ADHD). Are those behaviours still abnormal when so many children in the Australia now have the diagnosis? 
9. What's the role of psychiatric medication? How do professionals educate people about the meds they are taking and the rationale for taking them?

This is only a provisional list and we encourage people to suggest other topics (just email me). We hope that 2 or 3 people from the group will agree to facilitate each discussion. You don't need to be an expert in the area, you just need to pick a short article, video, or podcast that relates to the topic (for people to access beforehand), feel familiar enough with the issues to start off the discussion and guide us in case we get stuck.

Looking forward to starting our discussions on the 12th of March!!

March meeting

Looking forward to our first meeting March 12th!

A first post!

Welcome to the Sydney Hedge School. This blog has been set up as a platform on which to document the discussions that take place at our meetings. We hope that by publicising these discussions we will attract people who wish to engage with us, either by attending a meeting or through the blog itself.

We will be having our first meeting on Wednesday 12^th March at 6pm upstairs in The Friend in Hand on Cowper Street in Glebe.

Who are we and what is the purpose of the group?

Well, we work and/or study in the area of mental health. The founders of the group are current clinical psychology trainees. However, we hope that the group will include people that work or study in the areas of clinical psychology or psychiatry more broadly. We are interested in adopting a critical approach to psychology, psychiatry and the mental health industry as a whole. We see a value in questioning the dominant practices within the industry. We often feel that these same practices are pressured upon us so that we must conform to fit in, or at best, resist conforming but remain quiet for fear of being excluded.

This group is to serve as a forum for those who are interested in discussing these practices.

What's in a name?

The hedge school name comes from a tradition in Ireland that started in the 18th century similar to that of the ragged schools that followed in Britain during the 19th century. These movements were set up to deliver education to those in society who were otherwise excluded, due to religion and/or social class. They were of minimal or no cost to the students and the teachers delivered their lessons orally in an informal setting and they were not bound by a curriculum or a need to matriculate. Teachers taught because they enjoyed it and the students wanted to learn for the sake of learning.

Education from the margins at it's best!

It's this sort of philosophy that we hope to adopt for our group.

Want to attend? 

If you would like to attend a meeting or have your name added to the email list then please send an email to aidanjakelly[at]gmail.com.

The first meeting will be an introduction to critical psychology and how it might be applied to the provision of mental health services.