Desiree Colon Zine
8 pages · tap a page to read its text
Federici, p. 6-18, in Caliban and the Witch (2004/2014)
Davis, Ch 13 'The approaching obsolescence of housework' (1983)
Hustle, "What Prostitutes, Nurses and Nannies Have in Common" (2013)
The synthesis is in the machine,' interview with Silvia Federici (2018)
In modern-day society, working in the mental health field can feel like invisible labor that you do not get paid enough for. You deal with people who are in very vulnerable places mentally and emotionally, but at times they can also be manipulative, so you always have to stay alert. You want to believe in patients and help them the best you can, but the Lived Experience
Society depends on care workers, but in these positions, they are often not treated with respect or compensated properly. Jobs in mental health require patience, empathy, and emotional control every day, but people don't realize how draining that can be because they see it as just part of the job. Some companies also do not provide proper support to their staff or give them the right tools to handle. emergencies or crises.
treatment workers sometimes receive can feel cold, unfair, and emotionally exhausting. Most of us are just following procedures and rules created by someone else, yet we are the ones who deal with all the complaints, frustration, and Even when training is provided, it is usually just a bunch of anger from patients.
My zine analyzes how care work in a mental health setting is a systematically cheapened and an emotionally demanding job that is rendered invisible through capitalism and gendered structures.
documents, or pre recorded videos/audio. If there are protocols in place to handle crises that may arise then the staff may be more prepared and things will feel less overwhelming. There is a personal connection that makes the information stick more than just clicking through slides online. Sometimes all the reading in the world will not prepare you for how you will react when the time comes. These are serious situations, so the training is treated seriously and less robotic.
In certain fields, hands-on training is required, but what about the risks involved in working in a outpatient or nonprofit mental health clinic? We work with people who are going through many different situations in life, and sometimes those situations can make people reactive and unpredictable. Front desk workers and coordinators are often the first people patients interact with, yet they are expected to manage intense situations. There are clinics with over a hundred patients but limited staff members in each department. This also means that things fall through the cracks and it's inevitable when there are limited resources.
The Invisible Labor
How Unpaid Care Fuels Economies (and What Policy Still Misses
Similar to what Hustle said, "Emotional labor, like all work, takes its own peculiar tolls. In the world of commodified caring, the greatest risk to professional longevity is burnout, the stultifying feeling of not being able to keep up with the emotional demands of the job." (Hustle, 2013). I have lived around people who, if they experience burnout, quit and find a new job, but they do not let it interfere with their happiness. Working in mental health or any care-related position involves emotional labor that workers often take home with them. We try to focus only on the job and not let it affect us emotionally. Still, eventually it always does. Burnout isn't an individual problem, but something built into how these jobs are structured.
The only people usually trained to fully handle these situations are licensed care professionals, but they are not always around when something happens. At the same time, some supervisors are either not properly qualified for their positions or have not received sufficient training, which can create stressful and disorganized work environments. The source of the problem comes from institutional structures like underfunding programs and staffing systems. This creates an environment where workers are expected to carry emotional and safety-related responsibilities without the protection or recognition they actually deserve. Institutions depend on workers continuing to perform undervalued emotional labor despite inadequate support.
The risk involved when working in caregiving roles, in general, are often treated as part of the job, whether struggles appear in the home or in workplaces like mental health clinics. Even though this work is essential and people rely on it every day, it is not treated as an important piece of the puzzle or as structurally demanding form of labor. This supports what Angela Davis was saying about the way society overlooks the work that keeps everyday life functioning.
Davis writes, "Housework is virtually invisible: 'No one notices it until it isn't done, we notice the unmade bed, not the scrubbed and polished floor..."" (Davis 1980, p. 230). Angela Davis explains that housework and labor are not just gendered but also racialized, meaning certain groups of women have historically been pushed into care and service work. This is still present in everyday life and in the workforce because people usually notice care work only when something goes wrong or is not done at all, rather than acknowledging the labor required to keep things functioning smoothly. We notice the mistake, but not the fix.
Davis talks about how care work is invisible in everyday life, and Federici adds to this by showing how capitalism structures that invisibility by dividing labor into pieces that workers have limited control over. "Today we are witnessing more progress on that path, with the new value placed on mental skills, adaptation to machines and digital processes. At the same time, the recombinant nature of much production undermines the capacity for synthetic thinking. The synthesis is in the machine, while the workers provide bits and pieces through a labour process that they less than even control." (Federici, 2018). This idea reflects what it feels like working at a mental health front desk, where you are responsible for managing people's emotions and keeping things running, but you cannot fix the systems or conditions that create that stress. You are constantly absorbing others' frustration while having a limited ability to change the situation itself.
We are treated with contempt if we cannot solve something the way it was originally requested. We offer alternative options and reinforce our desire to help them, but it does not always matter. Society has made it impossible for those who need mental health care actually to receive it, but constantly advertises that there is help all around us. There is a systematic issue here where getting paid is more important than providing the care that is needed.
When I think about working in mental health, I see a similar pattern where emotional and care labor is expected and often distributed in unequal ways, but still not fully respected. While some men work in front desk positions in mental health settings, these jobs are still often viewed as "women's work." I have worked for a few healthcare companies, and the patterns are usually the same for front desk positions. When I asked supervisors or coworkers why these jobs are mostly filled by women, the answer was usually that more women apply. But to me, that just shows how society still connects care work and emotional labor to women. Men are just as capable of managing the front desk and working well in group settings, yet these positions are still treated like "women's work" instead of skilled labor that anyone can do with the right training and support.
We need HELP
EXTRAordinary!
I hope that people will be able to receive the right kind of care. the kind that meets their needs, instead of empty promises or understaffing concerns. Care work is rendered invisible because the system still considers it "women's work." Care work has been systematically cheapened through a lack of resources and training, and underfunded programs.
What will it take for mental health workers to be taken seriously?
weders
Elliott, J., & Franklin, S. (2018). 'The Synthesis is in the Machine': An Interview with Silvia Federici. Australian Feminist Studies, 33(96), 172-177.
Hustle, Robin. "What Prostitutes, Nurses and Nannies Have in Common." Jezebel, 17 Feb. 2013.
Federici, Silvia. Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation. Autonomedia, 2004. Revised ed., 2014, 14-15.
Davis, Angela Y. "The Approaching Obsolescence of Housework: A Working-Class Perspective." Women, Race, and Class, Random House, 1981, pp. 230-52.