A Dark Underbelly of Therapy?

Lambert’s own approach to therapy is simplicity itself. He uses client feedback as the basis upon which to judge progress. Before a session begins Lambert asks each client a few questions about how they are feeling and how they feel therapy is progressing. Based on his accumulated data of average progress over time, Lambert adjusts his approach to the client accordingly.

As Christian Jarrett points out, the idea of a published list of potentially harmful treatments will at least help to focus attention and raise awareness in clinicians who use such approaches.

Hopefully this awareness will also generate enthusiasm for carefully controlled studies as to the real effects of these potentially harmful therapies as well as starting a dialogue over where ‘harm’ in therapy actually begins.

Source:

Jarrett, C. (2008) When Therapy Causes Harm. The Psychologist. 21. 1: 10-12.