[firemonkey]

Psychotherapy is under siege. There is an increasingly hostile war being waged within the mental health field. A heated battle for the hearts and minds of the profession and public. One which will determine whether we progressively advance as a society in our psychological understanding and treatment of mental disorders or dangerously regress. This war right now is being fought on two major scientific fronts: pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral, both of which together are vying to defeat the forces of Freudian and Jungian depth psychology, the psychodynamic therapies into which they later evolved, and existential psychotherapy's humanistic and philosophical approach to dealing with life's inevitable problems. Are you ready for another revolution?



In a recent Time (September 13, 2011) interview titled "Q&A: A Yale Psychologist Calls for Radical Change in Therapy," clinical child psychologist Dr. Alan Kazdin expresses one polarized side of this contentious clash. He makes several dubious and debatable points. First, he claims that psychotherapy, in general, is, for the most part, outmoded and ineffective, and should be replaced or at least preceded by "more easily disseminable interventions." Next, he suggests that the only efficacious forms of psychotherapy are those that have been scientifically proven to work, so-called evidence-based treatments like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. He pretty much dismisses the possibility that any psychodynamically or existentially-oriented psychotherapy could be helpful. Moreover, Dr. Kazdin completely rejects the notion that therapy can or should be tailored to fit each unique case or patient. Finally, he flat out denies that psychotherapy is fundamentally based on the caring and supportive human relationship between patient and therapist, culminating with this telling statement: " If you want to get over an anxiety disorder, do graduated exposure. But sit down and relate to me or love me like your mom and dad? There's no evidence for that." Especially in this last highly prejudicial comment, Dr. Kazdin demonstrates what seems to be a stunning misconception of what modern depth psychology really is and how it really works. In this interview, Kazdin clearly becomes a partisan foot soldier in psychology's internecine struggle, what is fast becoming a pitched civil war, pitting the powerful forces of scientific medicalization of psychology and psychotherapy against those still fighting for the value and utility of a more humanistic, existential, or psychodyanamic approach to treatment. The stakes are high. Make no mistake. The very future of psychotherapy and the quality of mental health care in this country hangs in the balance.

http://www.psycholog...-and-treat-ment

[ramboself]

psycholotherapy is and always has been for the rich if you can afford therapy your not undder poverty stressers which psychotherapy never has to deal with and has no idea how to deal with

It's compasssionate yes to those with money

[manic666]

ramboself, on 26 November 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

psycholotherapy is and always has been for the rich if you can afford therapy your not undder poverty stressers which psychotherapy never has to deal with and has no idea how to deal with

It's compasssionate yes to those with money

In england if you pay for a theropist, 9 times out of ten 10 its the same one you get free on the NHS but dont have to wait so long an i would not want them when there free, i would pay not to see them

[manic666]

AutobroSaf, on 15 March 2012 - 11:03 AM, said:

Excuse for that I interfere … I understand this question. Write here or in PM.

[Universal Credit]

Talking therapies are bunk. Even CBT is bunk because it dismisses those cases which don't work and has a inherent selection bias. People who improve with talking therapy are gonna be the sort who'd benefit from talking in general methinks? with no finanically loaded 'therapy' angle on the conversation. Since the principles of CBT, like self-observation, can be explained simply and in full over a single paragraph why is a 'therapist' necessary at all?

[CeeBee]

I would be interested in trying good individual psychotherapy, but it is not available to me on the NHS. I don't know how effective it would be as I have major difficulties talking about my emotions, but it is something I would like to attempt.

[Universal Credit]

The mobile phone companies and the talking therapists are both trying to monetarize normal human communication - apparently the country is in massive debt for some reason too? I can't work it all out..?

[toffee]

I think psycotherapy is responsible partly for the breakdown of society and decrease in meaningful human relationships. I am sick of people telling me they are 'not qualified' to talk to me if I have a problem. Humans coped for centuries without counsellors. Now fair weather friends just have a ready made and socially acceptable excuse for being unsupportive and shallow and genuine friends are impacted by the therapy myth and as a result their confidence in their own ability to help has been eroded.

I also find that (NHS)therapy often seems to have the underlying assumption that you aren't very bright, aren't able to cope with the idea that there might be different paradigms and is incredibly slow. While I think many of the tools and ideas and explanations in various types of therapy are useful I think many people would recover much faster and get much more benefit from just going and training as counsellors themselves. Then, if it doesn't work, at least at the end of the day they have a certificate to show for it. ( I reckon it would also work out cheaper for the NHS even if htey paid for the training).

I am have been seeing a therapist I really like for the last 18 months. She is the chair of the bps psycotherapy section and very experienced however I often wonder why taxpayers pay her thousands of pounds to spend hours sitting and doing nothing with people beyond what a good friend would do. Sad society where we have to pay for friends to help us problem solve (and then that problem solving just amounts to 'it is your responsibility to work it out' - why do we pay 8 years training and £60,000 a year plus salary for that?

[eyewashere]

.

[dymphna]

'I am sick of people telling me they are 'not qualified' to talk to me if I have a problem. Humans coped for centuries without counsellors. Now fair weather friends just have a ready made and socially acceptable excuse for being unsupportive and shallow and genuine friends are impacted by the therapy myth and as a result their confidence in their own ability to help has been eroded.'

Excellent point well-expressed toffee. I've been thinking exactly the same for some time now.

So often people who used to talk to each other say almost as a reflex action; 'Have you seen a counsellor?' to someone who expresses a sorrow or other problem in their life. I think 'no I haven't seen a counsellor and I don't want to - I just want a bit of human comfort and response, a chat, some brotherly or sisterly sympathy' Not someone I have to pay a lot of money to just to listen to me.

What have we become that we don't listen to each other any more and trot out the 'have you thought of seeing' whatever the latest therapist is?

[manic666]

theropists are just someone makeing a liveing , they dont help in the least in my opinion. Most have no idea how a depressed brain works, only from a manual at colledge . They are usually more screwed than the patient.

[Universal Credit]

manic666, on 24 March 2012 - 09:10 PM, said:

theropists are just someone makeing a liveing , they dont help in the least in my opinion. Most have no idea how a depressed brain works, only from a manual at colledge . They are usually more screwed than the patient.

Not so far gone they forget their monthly salary, though.

[manic666]

Spartikus Rex, on 25 March 2012 - 06:56 AM, said:

Not so far gone they forget their monthly salary, though.

i think there hippy throwbacks , an havent a grasp on the real world , to fu*king thick to be a doctor , so i will have a go at f*cking someones brain. .

[eyewashere]

.

[manic666]

Me to im in a **** mood , thing is theropist are not allowed a bad day in therory , because it can do untold damage to a patient,s trust. but of course they do have bad days like anybody else .So sooner or later they trip up an distroy all , the patient never remembers a good session only the bad.,So the patient gets hurt by some chance remark, then its back to the start a couple of grand light an start all over, total **** , GBT theropy 1to1 an for a very long time will bring you back to cave man thinking that they bum into you FIGHT OR FLIGHT.When people start telling me why we **** ourself through anxierty is because cave men did that to make themself lighter so they could escape a saber tooth tiger faster ,its time to jack it in. ps, an yes our group was told that.

[Universal Credit]

Pyschotherapy is jabber-jabber. The brain is bio-chemical and when it goes wrong in any meaningful way it requires a bio-chemical remedy. You don't find talking therapy's for lung cancer or broken legs outside of the witchdoctors of the third world. It is a clear sign of the lack of ethical progress in pyschiatry that 'snake oil peddlars' are still given credance with no real substantial science to back them up. Like homeopathy there may be a placebo like effect, or in somecases because of the lack of scrutiny & accountablity a nocebo effect. Yes, and that placebo could come from a unpaid befriender too and save the state a fortune.

[Aladinsane]

Recent studies have shown that Psychotherapy is the reatment of choice for BPD or EUPD if you prefer. It is virtually impossible to recieve it here on the NHS however. So out of necessity I pay for treatment, quite frankly without it, I wouldn't still be here.

Aladinsane




As Viktor Frankl once said, "What is to give light must endure burning".