By: Martin Eble
Re: When Therapy Harms

 From the Internet:
 =================
          BEWARE THE TALKING CURE: PSYCHOTHERAPY
          MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
             by Terence W. Campbell, Ph.D.

ppbk, 265 pages, Upton Books, a division of SIRS $14.95

Review by Jaye Sharp, Editor of Michigan PFA Newsletter.

      "Traditional psychotherapy faces a crisis of enormous
proportions," (p 34) writes Dr. Terence Campbell, Michigan
clinical and forensic psychologist. Campbell sees little hope for
the field of psychotherapy unless it undergoes a radical
"paradigm shift." The reader should not be put off by the term
"paradigm1," although such a reaction would be understandable
considering the trivialization it has suffered at the hands of
writers of popularized psychobabble. It is a perfectly good and
descriptive term and the reader is urged to put aside any
negative associations and remember "paradigm" as meaning simply a
"model" or "standard".

      Science philosopher Thomas S. Kuhn, writes Dr. Campbell,
"defines prevailing theories, methods, and procedures of a
profession as its 'paradigm.' When the existing paradigm of a
profession is no longer viable -- as in the case of traditional
psychotherapy -- a crisis prevails and the profession must
undertake a 'paradigm shift.' Otherwise, it jeopardizes its
legitimacy as a profession. Once a profession has accomplished a
paradigm shift, 'it (quoting Dr. Kuhn)...will have changed its
views of the field, its methods, and its goals.'" (pp 34-35)

      Briefly, Campbell defines traditional psychotherapy as
Analytic therapy, Client center-humanistic (or CC-H) therapy, and
Behavioral therapy. Analytic therapy has as it goal a client's
insights into his/her own behavior. (p 54) CC-H therapy
encourages the client to value getting in touch with feelings as
opposed to achieving any intellectual awareness. Behavioral
therapy assumes that a client's psychological distress comes from
learned patterns of behavior. (p 87) All three therapeutic
approaches share the same defect, from Campbell's point of view
-in spite of their different approaches -- in that they do not
adequately serve the client's true needs.

      The client is, in all three orientations, subservient to
therapy ideology. With such traditional psychotherapy, says
Campbell, "unless changes in the paradigm of each of these
therapeutic orientations occur, there will be no change in views,
methods or goals." In other words, until or unless there is
change in the theoretical ideology of a therapy, there is no
change in the practice of the therapy.

      FMS readers may initially be disappointed that Campbell does
not cover "recovered-memory" therapy in depth. But this is not
within the book's objectives, which are, rather, a critical look
at the failures of traditional therapies, an urgent plea for
changes within the traditional therapeutic community, and a guide
for the lay person seeking therapy. Recovered-memory therapy is
dealt with under "incest-resolution therapy," in Part III of the
book: Therapeutic Relationships, Therapist as Prosecutor. This
makes sense within the context of the book.

      Recovered-memory therapy, or as it is referred to in the
book, incest resolution therapy, fulfills all the conditions of
traditional psychotherapy. It isolates the client from his/her
family, makes the therapist the only important person in the
client's life, and disregards research in the field while
adamantly adhering to a rigid ideology. Not surprisingly,
Campbell does not see much hope for a paradigm shift in this
area. "...therapists whose professional identities and incomes
depend largely on their reputations as 'incest resolution
experts' might find it particularly difficult to objectively
assess the pitfalls of their orientation." (pp 181 -182)

      Campbell is scathing in his view of his profession, but not
rancorous. At the same time that he condemns traditional
psychotherapy (the current paradigm) for its failings, he offers
concrete and attainable solutions for "a professional in crisis."
He is adamant, for example, in his insistence that the
client-therapist relationship needs to be reoriented from a
client preoccupation toward a client-family (or significant
others) preoccupation. This therapeutic approach enlists the
people who are closest to the client -- involving them as part of
the client's therapeutic solution -- and places the therapist in
a more peripheral role. (pp 217-218) "Unless psychotherapists
undertake the necessary paradigm shift," warns Campbell, "they
will reduce themselves to the status of charlatan and
faith-healers." (p 245)

      "Beware the Talking Cure: Psychotherapy May be Hazardous to
Your Mental Health" is above all, a cogent, concise, and relevant
guide for a anyone thinking about entering therapy. It dispels
the confusion and defuses the agony involved in choosing and
assessing a therapist. In the book's Afterword, Hiring and Firing
a Therapist, the lay person is offered the kind of advise that
will save many a potential client a lot of time, money, and
anxiety. Campbell insists that potential clients should not
hesitate to ask a therapist about his/her training. Such
questions, writes Campbell, "are altogether necessary and
appropriate. Any therapist who refuses to answer, or responds
evasively, is a therapist to avoid." (p 248)

      For the person already in therapy, there is a list of 40
questions which serves as an invaluable aid in assessing one's
own therapeutic experience. If the person in therapy, for
example, answers 'yes' to ten or more questions, "you need to
carefully question your therapist about the relevance of your
therapy..." advises Campbell. "He is probably doing you more harm
than good." (p 251) There is an additional implied message here,
and that is that the client should assume a less passive role in
the client-therapist relationship and accept a greater
responsibility in order to insure a successful therapeutic
outcome.

      Is there hope for a genuine improvement in psychotherapy?
"The American public," says Campbell, "deserves more than the
illusory effectiveness of wise words, kind words, and encouraging
words. Most likely, the impetus for a paradigm shift will come
from an informed public demanding it. (Emphasis added) At this
point in time, the public possesses greater potential for
objectivity about psychotherapy than psychotherapists do. In
their dogged determination to protect their obsolete paradigm,
traditional therapists have sacrificed their objectivity." (pp
245-246)

      Beware the Talking Cure is a book which should be on the
shelves of every library and every book store in the country. It
will go a long way toward educating consumers about the pitfalls
of traditional psychotherapy and informing them about the kinds
of mental health services they have a right to demand: effective,
constructive therapy from well-trained effective therapists.

               ************************

Dr. Terence W. Campbell, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the American
Psychological Society and is a member of the Scientific and
Advisory Board of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation. He
practices in Sterling Heights, Michigan.


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