Cog Psych-Out

There’s no doubt that there’s a severe shortage of mental health services in America. Is making clinical social workers available at your local pharmacy the answer? Those services are coming. NYT: Therapy on Aisle 7: Retailers Are Entering the Mental Health Market. “Finding a therapist can be a tough and time-consuming process involving multiple phone calls, waiting lists and insurance hurdles. But what if you were able to walk into your corner drugstore for a bottle of shampoo and also had the option of scheduling a walk-in session for mental health treatment? That’s the future that CVS, the largest retail pharmacy in the United States, is envisioning.” Will this really be therapy or will it be a funnel to move more drugs? “The social workers partner with the clinic’s nurse practitioners and pharmacists to give prescriptions when needed.” Getting talk therapy in a place designed to move drugs might not be the best idea. Maybe we should set up the program in a couch store.