Wellness experts caution against uncertified ‘Insta’ consultants

Chennai

Earlier this week, a Mumbai-based fashion influencer was bashed on social media after she announced that she will be offering therapy sessions in exchange for money. Soon after the influencer’s announcement, mental health professionals, wellness consultants and netizens called her out for her insensitive move. Many even shared how young and vulnerable teens would have taken her seriously and paid for therapy sessions. This has brought back the topic of how credible are these wellness influencers on social media.

Puja Puneet, a life coach from Chennai, says there are three types of coaches. “First is called a result-oriented coach. Bill Gates doesn’t need any degrees or certificates to teach business. People like him come under the result-oriented coach. The second type is the research coach. He will be someone who has done research on 100 people and get conclusions based on the study. The third is the certified ones — they would have professionally learned the subject. Be it any type of coach, it all depends on what they do with their knowledge. It is not like only certified people are allowed to practice or not. These days, there are many certification courses on the internet,” says Puja.

She points out that if a person does anything with good intentions, then it is not harmful. “In the end, we are serving the society. And if a person is a scamster, people will take him/her down. Social media has become so powerful that we can call out anyone. If a paati is talking about wellness or sharing the recipe of a drink to boost immunity, people will be interested to follow her. She may not have a degree or training but is carrying the knowledge of the ancestors. It is all about the intention for me. People are so intelligent and can sense your energy in a few minutes. Like how we watch a trailer before going for a film, a person should do minimal research about a therapist or wellness consultant. You can check reviews and testimonials on social media or the internet. Whether the expert is certified or not, it depends on the person’s capability and competency,” Puja suggests.

Psychologist Saravanan AK says that a person, before approaching any consultant or coach, should check for his or her basic qualification. “In Chennai, there are 10,000 qualified counsellors, but only a few of them practice actively. If a common man is looking for wellness or a life coach, they should do some research about the ‘expert’. These days, there are many certificate and degree courses offered by various universities. Firstly, one should see if the expert is qualified enough to give therapy. Secondly, understand what the person guarantees you. Some wellness coaches boast that they can solve all your problems in just two or three sessions. You have to avoid such people. One thing people should understand is that therapy is a continuous, long-term process and there are no quick results,” he says.

Before fixing an appointment with any mental health professional or a wellness coach, a person should understand what exactly they are looking for. “Just 5 minutes into the conversation, you will understand if the ‘expert’ sitting in front of you is trained or not. Therapy sessions are not one-sided — for eg, if a person approaches me for regression therapy, being a therapist I am also going deep with the client.

If I cannot handle the emotions, more than the client, I’ll come out as a damaged person. So, the person who gives such sessions should be trained well. This is for the safety of the client and therapist as well,” he adds.