Cass

Okay.

I'm sure everyone's heard of depression.

It's quite common, but I think it can be quite misunderstood as well.

So when you're talking with your clients or their families, how do you explain depression to people?

Yeah.

As you say that, there's so much underneath it.

So the importance of really getting that history and like you said, that personal understanding, it's so heartbreaking, the hopelessness or the despair.

I think maybe with some other mental health conditions, people might be given some more hope or they might even exist with the condition and have hope at the same time.

But to not have hope or to feel despair like nothing's going to fix this would be awful.

And trying to give someone hope, but also knowing you only see them for the allocated appointment time.

And yes, you may give them some strategies to try and stuff, but for them to know that it's not going to be an overnight success.

And if they have tried things before, that must be difficult at times for you to try and really give them hope.

And I'm guessing there's like a compounding effect as well.

Like they might not see initial progress at the start when they're unpacking stuff and being vulnerable.

But over time, the effect would compound.

And yeah, the importance of the therapeutic relationship between the treatment provider and the client is one of, if not the most important predictor of whether there will be benefits from that.

Treatment, I guess.

That's why I always say to people when I encourage them to go to therapy, I'm like, try it.

If you're not engaged or you don't particularly feel comfortable or particularly like the therapist, it's okay.

Try someone else.