If pop songs were research studies, we would have millions of randomised control trials on the fundamental importance of love for humans. And yet where does love come into the actual research we use to guide our health and community services?
Most movies are love stories. Including action movies, even if mainly in the form of a story driven by a need for protection or revenge. But love is remarkably absent in our treatment delivery models for services whose whole purpose is to provide care.
We know people are more likely to thrive when they feel valued and connected. Yet our most of our treatment protocols read more like an instruction sheet for an IKEA bookshelf.
No system is perfect. There are economic limitations and a need to provide consistency and measurable outcomes. But the almost total absence of one of the most profoundly healing forces we know is… odd. And maybe not particularly helpful.
Helen Mentha 