Psychotherapy

Dr. William Malamud, 86th president of the American Psychiatric Association, in an address delivered at the annual meeting in 1960, stated the following in a paper called “Psychiatric Research: Setting and Motivation”:

“During the last few years we have witnessed a growing trend of overemphasizing the value of ‘exact’ methodology and uniformity of standards. This trend, which could be characterized as a ‘cult ofobjectivity,’ has already had an important influence on psychiatric research. It is true that in its emphasis on critical judgment and valid criteria, it has helped to curb unrestrained flights of imagination and sloppy methodology. But the overglorification of objectivity and the insistence on rigidly single standards of acceptable methods have resulted in a concentration on certain phases of the science of human behavior at the expense of other very important ones.”

I believe that most individuals have a fairly good understanding of how they came to have the problem that they have. I have yet to encounter the person who protests he has no idea why he doesn’t function as he would like to in a certain area. From a practical standpoint, not many have the time nor money required to delve into the unconscious background of the problem. The high cost of treatment is a very real objection and cannot be discounted lightly. People suffering from emotional problems usually suffer financial reverses as well. Who is to help these people? There are very few places in the country where they can receive competent psychiatric help at a reasonable fee. Is there this type of help in your own community? It is only when the individual is destitute that the state provides whatever help it can. However, at this point it’s a long hard struggle back to good emotional health.

The National Association for Mental Health and its affiliates issue about 10 million copies of 200 different pamphlets on various aspects of mental health. To assess the value of these pamphlets, 47 mental hygiene experts held a conference at Cornell University. A report on this outstanding conference has been published. It is called “Mental Health Education: A Critique.” A feature by Ernest Havemann in the August 8, 1960 issue of Life contains a very worthwhile article on this conference called “Who’s Normal? Nobody, But We All Keep On Trying. In Dissent From ‘Mental Health’ Approach, Experts Decry Futile Search For An Unreal Goal.” The following paragraph is taken from the  Life article:

“What about psychiatry and psychoanalysis? This is a different matter. Many unhappy and problem-ridden people, though by no means all who have tried it, have profited from psychotherapy. Indeed, all the mental health pamphlets, as a postscript to the self-help methods they advocate, wind up by asvising the reader to seek professional care if his problems are serious enough. But the skeptics at Cornell cited statistics which to them show that psychiatric treatment is as remote for the average person as a trip to the moon. Aside from the expense, which most people would find prohibitive, there simply are not enough therapists to go around. The U. S. has around 11,000 psychiatrists and 10,000 clinical psychologists–in all, about one for every 8,500 citizens. If everybody with emotional problems decided to see a psychiatrist, the lines at the doctors’ offices would stretch for miles.”

Resistance in Counseling and Psychotherapy:

Jeffrey T. Guterman describes the progressive reconceptualization of the concept of resistance in counseling and psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy with the Unmotivated Patient, with Erving Polster Video:

In this Gestalt Therapy video clip, renowned therapist and teacher Erving Polster artfully and adeptly works with Gerald: bright, cynical, emotionally detached, overly-intellectual, and determined to defeat this therapist as he has previous ones. We watch Polster engage him in here-and-now interactions, matching wits, and challenging his defenses with a delicate balance of confrontation and empathy.

From the blogosphere:

Can Science Make Psychotherapy More Effective?More rigorous scientific training in clinical psychology graduate programs would turn out more competent clinicians, researchers write in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. But not all psychologists agree. Guests: …

Psychotherapy, Happiness, and MoneyAccording to a study conducted at the University of Warwick and published in “Health Economics, Policy and Law,” psychotherapy may be significantly more effective at fostering happiness and well being than either getting a raise or …

Psychotherapy Can Boost Happiness More Than Money: StudyPsychological therapy may be much more effective at making people happy than getting a raise or winning a lottery prize, suggests an English study.Researchers analyzed data on thousands of people who provided information about their.