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To: Editors of The Washington
Post
The saga of suspected anthrax killer Bruce E. Ivins involves a history of
psychological and substance abuse issues that makes for a compelling news story.
Questions about his diagnoses and treatment are certainly valid. But Washington
Post reporter Anne Hull does public health a disservice when she writes of his
counselor, "[Jean] Duley is not a psychiatrist, a psychologist or even a social
worker; in the highly stratified world of mental health, she is an addictions
counselor who earns $20 an hour.”
Our federal and state systems do indeed “stratify” professionals in terms of
what they may be reimbursed by insurance for their services. But the implication
that quality of treatment is determined by a hierarchy of titles is inaccurate
and misleading. Qualified, supervised addictions counselors can provide
specialized and valuable services. Social workers – the “or even” of Ms. Hull’s
article –undergo stringent state licensing exams at a number of levels to be
able to practice. Clinical social workers – those with the highest level of
training and licensing -- provide the vast majority of psychotherapy in our
time, and do so within a context of continued training, clear ethical standards,
and vigilance to both individual and societal mental health. Our understanding
either of Ivins or Duley is not enhanced by sweeping statements which
misrepresent mental health professionals.
Susan W. Post
President, Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work