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Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

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Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#51

Post by samh748 »

infpeace wrote: post #42
samh748 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really appreciate the feedback. But the big problem I see with all the professions is exactly that, they are professions that end up costing way too much as a service for people who are probably struggling to afford this and that. Also, the fact that they are professional services makes the barrier higher for people who are less inclined to seek help. My vision is to provide something very low-barrier, both in cost a…

For providing free support, have you considered a meetup group? I run a self-compassion meetup group and it’s been a wonderful platform to create an online space for sharing emotional support together, and free for members (I pay the meetup organiser fee). It feels rewarding and meaningful to offer support out of love, not money. Just humans being caring to each other. :)

It's a good idea, but it only really works locally. And I think meeting in-person can become "too much" at times. I definitely am for this idea, but I think it only works for certain people.

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#52

Post by samh748 »

throwaway675309 wrote: post #44
samh748 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally understand your point and anticipated there will be pushback like this. However, from what I've observed, there seems to be a significant lack of actually helpful support and resources for people who fall into these two categories: 1) People who think their problems aren't serious enough to seek therapy 2) People who have seen therapy but haven't gotten much success from it I'm sorry if my big intro wasn't…

Even if you intend on not charging money or want to keep it available to low income or keep the barrier low, there's a reason that formal standards exist, and to forgo that knowledge because you ostensibly possess "above average intuition and earthy wisdom" seems hopelessly naïve to me. I would highly advise that you at least be open to the option of undergoing some actual training.

This is a good point. Thanks for that. :)

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#53

Post by R0b0t1 »

textadventure wrote: post #23
R0b0t1 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The track record for real therapy is pretty poor and sometimes the answer you get is "go interact with other people." I don't see this being worse than the nothing that is usually available, but it is a pretty weird website to do it on.

According to what do you conclude that the track record for real therapy is pretty poor? Some study or just some subjective perception?

Yes, some study. The success rates for any specific intervention for depression is quite low. It's hard to separate the success of the intervention from acting better for your doctor due to social pressure and simply growing out of the issue.

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#54

Post by throwaway81523 »

samh748 wrote: post #38
throwaway81523 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean you want a discussion site with therapists or psychologists doing AMAs or leading group discussions or something like that? Or do you mean you want a more sophisticated user community, something like Math Overflow for self-help practitioners? The first seems like mostly a matter of how to pay the professonals, the second is likely to be more self-organized and closed and probably exists in many forms unde…

I'm thinking more like an "advice-column", where people can tell me their struggles and I'll try my best to share some perspective. It seems cheesy but I think high-quality ones are almost non-existent. And I'm confident enough in my ability to provide some real value here.

I see, well is anything stopping you? Note: IANAL but I have a definite impression that if you plan to charge for this type of assistance, you need a license, at least here in California. But nothing stops you from going online and taking requests.

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#55

Post by em-bee »

samh748 wrote: post #52
throwaway675309 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you intend on not charging money or want to keep it available to low income or keep the barrier low, there's a reason that formal standards exist, and to forgo that knowledge because you ostensibly possess "above average intuition and earthy wisdom" seems hopelessly naïve to me. I would highly advise that you at least be open to the option of undergoing some actual training.

This is a good point. Thanks for that. :)

my thought on this is that it would be good if you at least understand what each of these professions are about so that you can recognize your limitations and understand when the person seeking help needs something more serious that you can't provide.

i think what you want to do is essentially what i would consider being a good but also knowledgeable friend. a good friend tries to help where they can, but not all friends understand what help a person actually needs. for many situations having a good friend is enough, but in some situations the best thing a good friend can do is to say that it's time to seek professional help.

and maybe they already know that they need professional help but don't know how or where to get it. so you can be an intermediary where people can get support for smaller things or be pointed in the right direction if there are serious issues to tackle.

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#56

Post by [deleted] »

fouc wrote: post #20
coolhoody wrote: post #3

The funny thing about this — is that quite a lot of people can help others — while not being able to help themselves. I had a startup idea — for people in need of such help helping and motivating each other — noticing that I can solve rather complex problems of others while being a prize moron within my own code block. Didn't follow through due to d. My advice to you is: 1. Don't be discouraged if this dies in 'New',…

due to what? is d. short for death?

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#58

Post by L0in »

Thank you for making this thread!

Currently i feel like a have the time and space to breath. I do have my occasional anxiety and depressed feelings with automatic thoughts, but they don't hold me down. But i must confess this calmness is strange experience to me because i fear relapse is just around the corner and everything about this calmness and the "logical thinking" i'm experiencing is a delusion.

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#59

Post by L0in »

coolhoody wrote: post #3

The funny thing about this — is that quite a lot of people can help others — while not being able to help themselves. I had a startup idea — for people in need of such help helping and motivating each other — noticing that I can solve rather complex problems of others while being a prize moron within my own code block. Didn't follow through due to d. My advice to you is: 1. Don't be discouraged if this dies in 'New',…

One of the things that i find strange and sometimes annoys me about HN is that every idea needs to be a startup... Why? Your idea could also become a collective or a non-profit the very least...

Re: Ask HN: Are you lost / confused / stuck? I can try to help

#60

Post by samh748 »

em-bee wrote: post #55
samh748 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a good point. Thanks for that. :)

my thought on this is that it would be good if you at least understand what each of these professions are about so that you can recognize your limitations and understand when the person seeking help needs something more serious that you can't provide. i think what you want to do is essentially what i would consider being a good but also knowledgeable friend. a good friend tries to help where they can, but not all fri…

That's a very good point. I'm starting to realize my limitations and am thinking of doing something a bit different. But it's all good food for thought. Thank you all for your constructive feedback!
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