Falling for Therapy

This book, written by a client, challenges the power of theory and ask questions which deserve to be aired, and in so doing presents a powerful and articulate appeal for greater sensitivity, a critical view and better practice. Psychotherapeutic literature abounds with therapists' descriptions of the therapeutic process and with theoretical explanations of ideal psychotherapy. Only in recent years have consumers begun to add their voice to the literature. As Anna Sands' book shows, the perspective of the consumer may be quite different from that of the published practitioner. Falling for Therapy is a powerful addition to this material; it shows not only that a corrective perspective is sorely needed but that consumers can be every bit as articulate and perceptive as therapists - perhaps more so. Anna Sands' book should be required reading for all psychotherapists and counsellors, as well as by intending, questioning or dissatisfied consumers' - Colin Feltham, Sheffield Hallam University What do consumers of therapy want and what do they get in practice? Is what they get more beneficial than what they think they want, or can it actually be harmful? Many psychotherapists work from the premise that the idiosyncrasies of their practice are integral and necessary ingredients in the therapeutic process. The client's behaviour, on the other hand, tends to be viewed primarily as an expression of the personal world she imports into the therapy room from outside it. But what about the therapist's personal world? And how are clients affected by the context of therapy itself? Falling for Therapy suggests that certain approaches and techniques can be deeply damaging and attempts to chart some of the ways in which differences of perception might influence the course of therapy. Using examples from the author's personal experience, it looks at the failure to communicate on the part of two people who saw/see themselves as highly competent communicators, the failure of a system of therapy to contain those caught up in it, the failure of the institutions of therapy to address satisfactorily the ensuing dilemmas - and at the ethical and practical issues involved. Ann Sands' book is an attempt to put that failure to good use by asking questions about psychotherapy from a client's point of view; it is also a plea for greater openness and humanity within it. Anna Sands is a freelance writer of EFL texts and has a Sociology degree and an MEd in Language Teaching. If the aim of psychotherapy is to alleviate suffering, then the measure of its validity must be the extent to which it does or does not achieve that goal. But who decides whether suffering has been alleviated, or whether the well-being of the client has been promoted? On what basis are such judgements made? The majority of literature on the effectiveness of therapy is written by therapists. This book, written by a client, challenges the power of theory and ask questions which deserve to be aired, and in so doing presents a powerful and articulate appeal for greater sensitivity, a critical view and better practice.