Sunday morning for me always includes watching CBS Sunday Morning -- the slow pace, longer stories and wonderful writing are an excellent accompaniment to my tea and Sunday paper. And this morning, they did a segment on psychotherapy. Of course I immediately knew I wanted to write a blog post on this and to my delight I discovered that the show has a text version of the story on their site.
On the surface, we seem to be in a time when traditional psychotherapy is falling out of the picture in favor of psychotropic drugs, brief behavioral approaches and self-help. Mental health centers around where I live have begun to change focus solely on medication and case management, forgoing altogether providing psychotherapy.
"What was once seen as a sign of illness or a character flaw is now widely accepted. By one measure, 91 percent of Americans would seek counseling or advise a friend or family member to do the same.
"What people are finding is that there's a tremendous value in bearing your soul to somebody who takes the time to listen, and to relate to you like no one else," said Dr. Gabbard. "
and
"So with all we have learned about the brain - how it really functions - is the whole notion of psychotherapy, the "talking cure," still valid?
More so than ever, says Dr. Gabbard.
"I think it's swinging from a kind of over-medicalization of psychiatry," he said. "I've seen so many patients who've had every drug in the book, and they come to me and say, 'You know, no one ever talked to me for more than ten minutes. Can I tell ya' about what's going on at home with my family?'" "
Of course, I basically agree with Gabbard but I a a bit less optimistic overall because of the fractured nature of the field, balkanized not only by theoretical orientation but by professional affiliation as well. And we do a terrible job of making the public aware of the benefits of therapy, of promoting what we do as not just about dealing with mental illness but also problems of ordinary life. Maybe what we need is a good PR firm to make certain that our voice is heard in the marketplace?