This presentation was delivered by Ric Thompson at Family Advocacy's 2007 Odyssey Conference.
We live in a world where we invest faith, hope, time and money in people known as specialists, experts and professionals. We are attracted by their forecasts, their programs and activities. They are guided by the quest to "do no harm", but do they? Ric Thompson acknowledges the value and role of "the expert", but also aims to raise our consciousness about the seductive nature of care systems and how we need to be more aware of whether the right person, is offering the right experience, in the right way, and to the right person. He suggests that we need to really "pay attention" to what is being offered, by whom and the impact of this on the individuals and families involved.