What's up with the "Midwest Center"?

April 6, 2006 7:25 AM

What's the deal with these Midwest Center folks?

I don't know about other parts of the country, but here Lucinda Bassett is on the radio a few times a day with these depressing and stressful ads for her depression-and-stress counseling service.

(If you haven't heard the ads, they're truly brilliant: in this tense, grating voice, she tells you how depressed, inadequate and out-of-control you feel — and then, when you're ready to punch the radio, she tells you that she can help you cope with those negative feelings. Artificial demand at its finest.)

Anyway, I've started wondering about the service she's advertising. Is it just normal self-help with a bigger advertising budget? Some kind of cult or pseudo-cult like the Landmark Forum or est? Psychotherapy? I can't help but think it's some kind of scam, given the pushy marketing, but really I'm just curious.

posted by nebulawindphone to health & fitness (5 comments total)

(I guess I should clarify: whatever she's offering, I'm not about to shell out for it. I just want to know what the story is.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:26 AM on April 6, 2006

I don't know if it's a cult. Lucinda Basset sure doesn't seem to have any credentials aside from her own recovery, and the staff page, which just lists a few people, has this to say about the person who apparently does the hiring:

Carolyn Dickman, Education Director
Carolyn has been with the Midwest Center for twenty years. Lucinda discovered very early that the best people to employ were those who had recovered using the Attacking Anxiety program.

But the same could be said about AA, which works very well for many people. The difference, of course, is that one doesn't pay for AA.
posted by OmieWise at 8:26 AM on April 6, 2006

I've only read her book, because my sister suffers from panic disorder. I found it to be helpful in understanding what my sister was going through. I later gave her the book, and she found some of the techniques to be useful (she is also on medication and has a therapist).

I've seen the infomercial on tv a couple of years ago. So you might just want to check out the book from the library and pass on the rest of the stuff. YMMV, &etc.
posted by cass at 10:31 AM on April 6, 2006

I got her CD's from a friend, who paid something like $500 for them. They are great for someone who has an anxiety disorder but for depression they basically say to go see a doctor. I would also say the information was too general to be as effective as a therapist.

Basically, I would only buy these if you have absolutely NO access to a cognitive-behavioral therapist.
posted by ryanissuper at 12:08 PM on April 6, 2006

Me too. Several years ago she got my money one night when I was drunk and depressed and I ordered her videos and CDs.

I still got 'em in un-opened in their original shrink-wrap in my shed.

I'm not depressed anymore, but I'd be extatic if anyone here wants to buy them from me.

Only $350!
posted by SwingingJohnson1968 at 12:44 AM on April 7, 2006