Would you prefer a practitioner, therapist, doctor to have....

[blueta2]

Look, go back, I was basically saying, I would prefer a practitioner who has experience in an issue instead of someone who only learned from a book.
Yes older people can be as lacking in "wisdom" as a younger person, and I would not be opposed to getting help/advice from someone a little younger than me if let's say they could relate to me because they had the same life experience.

And I NEVER said the word of ALL older people are golden, but the truth oft the matter is, people who are 20-30 yrs older than you and Nan, have a lot more life experience. whether it be wise experience or not.

You both lost my point.

 

[EnderJE]

The short answer is yes / no. It depends on the situation and the type of people. Not all people respond to the same stimulus in the same way. Some people need book smarts. Some people need life experience. Some people just need to see boobs.

 

[blueta2]

For me, in the health care field, book smart doesn't cut it. It's like reading books on how to drive a car and never actually driving one.

How can I ever know what a mother who lost a child feels if I never lost a child. I can guide her how to grieve from what I learned in school and books, but never will I be able to connect to her.

I guess this is why self help groups are more popular than one on one therapy.

 

[AFeedz]

Look, go back, I was basically saying, I would prefer a practitioner who has experience in an issue instead of someone who only learned from a book.
Yes older people can be as lacking in "wisdom" as a younger person, and I would not be opposed to getting help/advice from someone a little younger than me if let's say they could relate to me because they had the same life experience.

And I NEVER said the word of ALL older people are golden, but the truth oft the matter is, people who are 20-30 yrs older than you and Nan, have a lot more life experience. whether it be wise experience or not.

You both lost my point.

I only used the term 'all' because you said you would "never hire any young person". That's a pretty finite statement.

Someone 20-30 years older than me has lived 20-30 years that I haven't. Duh. And they have experiences I don't, obviously, but that doesn't mean a 23 year old doesn't have experiences they don't have as well. We don't all live the same lives.

The overwhelming majority of people 20-30 years older than me haven't experienced what I've been through and could never help the girls I help, no matter the extra years they've lived. So what I'm really saying is trusting a person should depend on the situation and what that specific person brings to the table, not whether that person is 20 or 40.

As long as what a doctor was doing to treat me worked, I'd see no reason not to trust them no matter their age. Who cares as long as I'm getting better?

 

[AFeedz]

I'm basically agreeing with you, blueta. I want someone with experience helping people with whatever it is. I'm only saying I think relevant experience is way more meaningful than the amount of experience.

 

[blueta2]

Exactly, but to me, being 45, I would not take advice from a 22 yr old. That is just me! I have a niece and nephew that age and to me, I see a 22 yr old as a child. Even if they had all the pains I've had. It's not a slap to the young person, it's just not where I would be helped.

I didn't want to make this about age, but started the thread really to see if people are more comfortable getting help from someone who can relate to them because they have similar experiences. If I lost a child, I want to talk to someone who lost a child.
I have lupus and had panic disorder, I want to talk to that person who had both and want to know how they coped.
I want the person who's been on the front lines. Probably why the best addiction counselors are the ones who were former addicts.

 

[nangiggles]

Really? cause AA and NA cannot even successfully treat substance abuse patients. Have you ever been to an AA or Al Anon meeting to see what substance abuse is really like and how it's really treated? How did you treat them?

I'm not saying you don't know your stuff, and I don't even know you personally or your story, but no way, as a 45 yr old woman who's been through some hard times, would I ever considering getting help from a 22 yr old.
And yes being older and wiser means A LOT! You will see this when you're older and wiser.
Young people say that until they live a little more.

Well as a 45 yr old woman you may be missing out on good therapists by rejecting them based on their age, again age doesnt make you wise... not only have I been to AA/NA meetings, I've actually been the center therapist for them, at age 19 I did a 4 month internship and worked in a substance abuse center, organized their meetings, daily activities, directed their sessions, etc. so yes I do not what it is about.
At age 22 I worked in a center that took patients from across the world and with cognitive and behaviorism therapy we worked on key elements such as the origin of their addiction, how it affects them and those around them, assignments for dealing with people around you who are still consuming, building support systems to avoid relapse, building strategies for dealing with the desire to consume and so much more...

So at what age does one reach that old & wise plateau?

 

[wootoom]

i only take advice based on personal experiences...i would not wnt to have a shrink if he hasnt went through a divorce simply because he doesnt know what its like...you can be taught it your whole life, but going through it, is the best knowledge

 

[mootoow]

This thread is hilarious. Definite TOTW potential!

 

[mrplunkey]

For me, in the health care field, book smart doesn't cut it. It's like reading books on how to drive a car and never actually driving one.

How can I ever know what a mother who lost a child feels if I never lost a child. I can guide her how to grieve from what I learned in school and books, but never will I be able to connect to her.

I guess this is why self help groups are more popular than one on one therapy.

Pitting book smart versus experience is a false choice. They aren't exclusionary.

Book smart is the price to play. It is a necessary but not sufficient condition for competence in the vast, vast majority of health care fields. I wouldn't want a resident working on me unsupervised, but neither would I want someone pretending to be a health care practitioner without the necessary professional degrees either.

There are plenty of people who have both training and experience and to work with someone missing either necessary aspect is a fool's effort.