The latest edition of my podcast series deals with how to get good therapy and how to avoid bad therapy. In the interview I chat with Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton, authors of the recently published book A Straight Talking Introduction to Therapy (published by PCCS Books). Click on the embedded link below to watch/listen.
Some very general guidelines apply to accessing safe psychological help, check to see if a therapist is not only registered with a professional body, but also accredited. Being accredited, of course, does not guarantee anything but is a useful first check when seeking to discuss your private and confidential material. Being accredited means that a therapist has undergone a more rigorous validating process and has committed themselves to meeting minimum standards surrounding ongoing continuing professional development and clinical supervision. Some professional bodies even require a rigorous re-accreditation process every 5 years, such as the UKCP. Counselling and psychotherapy are not protected terms in the UK, so anyone can essentially call themselves a therapist, without any reference to or compliance, or adherence to, any ethical framework and professional code. But beyond that what defines guidelines for good therapy can be entirely subjective depending on many factors, including theoretical orientation, modality wars, prejudices and so on.
In the interview with Graham and Matt we reference the work of Miller and Moyers and the 8 characteristics of what could be seen as deliberate practice that the research data says are present in the most effective therapists. The characteristics are Empathy, Non-judgemental acceptance, Affirming and validating, Genuineness, Focus, Promoting Hope and Optimism, Solution Focused and strengths-based, and Advice and Guidance. Graham and Matt added an additional characteristic, namely a good therapist should be grounded in the evidence in their field of practice. These should be seen in their totality, there is no one single bullet for practitioners to perform more effectively.
Enjoy the chat.
Noel Bell is a UKCP accredited psychotherapist based in London and can be contacted on 07852407140.
Love the Seinfeld quote, assume that was Larry David’s writing ?
Therapy tends to see the most active of echo chambers. Just look at institutes insisting that their students, and members, see supervisors from the same discipline. Wouldn’t it be better to potentially see someone from a different discipline? As you say even reaccreditation is just checking that the therapist has gone to enough courses, without any real need to explain why such courses were chosen. More attention is paid to the professional indemnity insurance certificate.