News The Sorry State Of Psychotherapy

[anthony]

Some wonder why? This is the exact reason this forum exists... because the mental health industry has gone to shit, gone to "for profit" and gotten lazy. I personally thought the industry sucked years ago... let alone just how much worse it has actually gotten in such a short time.

Science Daily cites:

The prevalence of mental health disorders in this country has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Who is treating all of these patients? Clinical psychologists and therapists are charged with the task, but many are falling short by using methods that are out of date and lack scientific rigor. This is in part because many of the training programs—especially some Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) programs and for-profit training centers—are not grounded in science.

A new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, by a panel of distinguished clinical scientists—Timothy Baker (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Richard McFall (Indiana University), and Varda Shoham (University of Arizona)—calls for the reform of clinical psychology training programs and appeals for a new accreditation system to ensure that mental health clinicians are trained to use the most effective and current research to treat their patients.

There are multiple practices in clinical psychology that are grounded in science and proven to work, but in the absence of standardized science-based training, those treatments go unused.

For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be the most effective treatment for PTSD and has the fewest side-effects, yet many psychologists do not use this method. Baker and colleagues cite one study in which only 30 percent of psychologists were trained to perform CBT for PTSD and only half of those psychologists elected to use it. That means that six of every seven sufferers were not getting the best care available from their clinicians. Furthermore, CBT shows both long-term and immediate benefits as a treatment for PTSD; whereas medications such as Paxil have shown 25 to 50 percent relapse rates.

The report suggests that the escalating cost of mental health care treatment has reduced the use of psychological treatments and shifted care to general health care facilities. The authors also stress the importance of coupling psychosocial interventions with medicine because many behavioral therapies have been shown to reduce costs and provide longer term benefits for the client.

Baker and colleagues conclude that a new accreditation system is the key to reforming training in clinical psychology. This new system is already under development: the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS http://www.pcsas.org).

 

[suzie q]

My Experience Exactly!!

In all the therapy I've had, my therapist concentrated on my bi-polar, OCD, addictions to drugs and disassociation only. I was told early on that I could be suffering from PTSD, but I guess all the other symptoms were also present.

It was never explained by psychologist or therapists,in single and group therapies, what PTSD was and how to work through the symptoms. I guess they were so close to the symptoms of all my other illnesses. Honestly, I believe they knew about PTSD, but had no clue how to work through the problems it created. Maybe all the other things wrong with me had to be treated first. They did, after all, diagnose me. That was something, right?

I think, like all the other symptoms I had, dealing with PTSD was just one more in a line of many diseases that my community had yet to study. It seems very complex and the mental health community is, most of the time, way out of the loop in their continuing education. As a patient, part of the responsibility is mine in finding help, after all.

I have been dealing with these symptoms for years. I thought I had already done most of the work needed to live with some peace. I was very wrong, and if I hadn't searched for information on my present problems, I would never have pursued it further. Thanks Forum.

Patients need to be pro-active in searching for help and the scientific community needs to expand and educate those who claim to be therapists. This should include the PhD's all the way down to the LCSW. We have been getting a raw deal so far and I hope things will change for the better. We need results now.

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

I remember the first time I went to a counselor. I was feeling terrible - my daughter had just been diagnosed with PTSD and had been recently hospitalized. My ex had died (my daughter was the one that found him = her PTSD). At the time, I had no idea that I had C-PTSD - but I was literally falling apart. There is mental illness all throughout my family. The counselor I saw was a LCSW.

She never did an assessment - even though I told her about my family history as well as my personal history of abuse etc. Her solution was that I was spending too much time making everyone else happy (like most abuse survivors do by the way) and the solution was as simple as my spending a set amount of time each day doing something for myself. That was IT!!!! For 3 months - this was her solution for everything. It took me 2 1/2 years to reach back out again. Fortunately, I found a good therapist that at least "gets it" and was intelligent enough to realize that I needed an assessment for PTSD. However, I still find myself wondering sometimes if we are going in the "right direction".

Without this forum (thanks Anthony and everyone else - who are behind the scenes making it possible) - I would still think I was going crazy. I doubt at this point that I would be functional at all. The support I have received here - is far above and beyond any support group I have ever attended and any counseling I have ever received.

Here in the US - mental health funding is getting slashed left and right. In my area - there are no options for someone without health insurance other than your local ER - which will put you back on the streets within 24 hours.

It is actually quite scary to me - especially if it continues down the current path and someone doesn't turn things around.