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Evaluating Educational and Helping Services
While the majority
of educational and helping services associated with stress are competent
and ethical, others are not. The following are some questions you
should ask an organization before becoming involved with it:
- What is the nature of your organization or services?
-
Briefly describe what will take place in a typical session.
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Who will lead the sessions? Will this person be supervised? What
are the supervisor's qualifications? To whom are these people
accountable?
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How much of my time will be involved and for how long?
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Can I drop out if I wish?
- What
is the total cost of the service? Is it covered by my provincial
health care plan?
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How does your organization ensure that confidentiality is respected?
Avoid the following
situations or organizations:
- An organization whose contact person will not answer questions
clearly or to your satisfaction.
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When your involvement is due to pressure from a third party.
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If you are promised money as a reward for participating.
- If
you are asked to sign a document that might compromise your civil
rights (e.g. testimonials, contracts with fixed obligations).
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If success is "guaranteed".
If you are
already getting help...
but things are
not working out, a number of things may be happening. It may be
that you are not yet willing to accept a problem or focus on its
solution. However, it may be because you have chosen a resource
that's not "right" for you.
If you have
a "helping" person who:
- doesn't give
you time to explain your problem,
- doesn't
seem to hear you, or
- suggests
something you feeling is inappropriate,
then consider
seeking a second opinion or a different kind of "helping" resource.
Getting help to cope with stress may require a few attempts in order
to fit the right resource to meet your wants and needs.
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