Sensible Psychotherapy
People come into therapy to better understand their predicament,
and for help in doing the sensible thing. This requires a therapist with sound
training, ample experience, integrity, a good heart, and good sense.
I like to call what I do Sensible Psychotherapy. Using sensible
therapy methods and the experience I have accumulated, we can tailor the
treatment appropriately for each individual case, and bring good sense to
bear on the problems. However, a sensible approach is not as common
as it should be.
The treatment methods of psychology, counseling, and psychiatry
have not always been particularly helpful to the clients. From the first
treatment available, Freudian psychoanalysis, we have seen a lot of silliness
and wasted money. In more recent years, we have seen other unfortunate results
from therapists.
For example, in the 60's and 70's some therapists blamed the parents
of seriously mentally ill patients, not recognizing that schizophrenia and
bipolar disorder were biologically based brain diseases. In the 80's and 90's,
we have seen an epidemic of accusations of sexual abuse come from therapists
eliciting false memories, some rather absurd. Throughout the past several
decades we have seen a variety of other psychological theories and fads come and
go, each with perhaps a glimmer of usefulness and a bulk of bunk. Even now, if you look in some of the therapy journals, you can
find advertisements for many fancy sounding therapy "technologies" of
dubious efficacy.
Fortunately, there have also been reliable, tried and true
methods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a straightforward, effective, even if
unglamorous treatment for depression, obsession, or phobia. Family therapy
is extremely helpful for many problems, such as behavioral disorders, most
anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders, and it is particularly helpful with
marital problems or divorce. There is a new, straightforward approach available
to learning problems and attention deficit which delivers significant benefits.
Last but not least, individual therapy which simply confronts and talks
through problems can really help as well.
Dr. Sullivan has written a novel. Learn about it here:
The
Psychotic State on sale at Amazon
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