Linda L. Michaels et al.. "Advancing Psychotherapy for the Next Generation: Humanizing Mental Health Policy and Practice" (Routledge, 2023)
Nov 7, 2023
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Linda L. Michaels and mental health professionals discuss the importance of relationship-based depth psychotherapy in 'Advancing Psychotherapy for the Next Generation.' They address challenges in mental health diagnostics, unity among therapists, struggles with insurance coverage parity, public perceptions of therapy, ethical concerns with therapy apps, and therapists' role as advocates for systemic change.
Advocates emphasize the importance of relationship-based depth therapy accessible to all communities.
Pushback against evidence-based care and the undervaluing of depth therapy pose challenges in mental health treatment.
Deep dives
The Importance of Relationship-Based Depth Therapy
The podcast episode highlights the global community of mental health professionals coming together to advocate for relationship-based depth therapy in the book, 'Advancing Psychotherapy for the Next Generation.' The authors emphasize the significance of therapy that focuses on depth, insight, and relationships, aiming to make this form of treatment accessible to all communities. They address challenges posed by the current mental health diagnostic system, the limited focus on evidence-based care, and the undervaluing of depth therapy by various stakeholders. The authors underscore the crucial role of therapies centered on depth, insight, and relationship in mental health treatment.
Psychotherapy Action Network's Mission and Linda L. Michaels' Involvement
The podcast delves into the formation and purpose of the Psychotherapy Action Network (SCION), initiated after a conference highlighted the marginalization of depth therapy in mental health care. Linda L. Michaels, a key figure in SCION, discusses the organization's role in advocating for depth therapies, aiming to counter the dominance of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication in mainstream mental health approaches. SCION seeks to promote therapies emphasizing depth, insight, and relationship, emphasizing the importance of diverse therapeutic modalities in addressing mental health needs.
The Concept of 'Therapies of Depth, Insight, and Relationship'
The podcast conversation delves into the coined phrase 'therapies of depth, insight, and relationship' trademarked by SCION, representing therapeutic approaches focusing on understanding deep-seated issues through insight and fostering strong therapeutic relationships. The discussion addresses the need to move beyond the turf wars between different therapeutic approaches like CBT and depth therapy, highlighting the effectiveness and long-term benefits of therapies centered on depth, insight, and relationships. By trademarking this phrase, SCION aims to emphasize the value of diverse therapy modalities in mental health treatment.
Challenges of Evidence-Based Approaches and Insurance Parity in Mental Health Care
The podcast episode sheds light on the challenges faced by depth therapies in the context of evidence-based practices and insurance reimbursement. It discusses the pushback against evidence-based techniques overshadowing depth therapy, emphasizing the unique effectiveness and long-lasting benefits of depth therapies. The conversation further delves into the concept of insurance parity in mental health care, highlighting the disparities in coverage, reimbursement, and access between mental health and medical care. It emphasizes the importance of advocating for equitable reimbursement and access to depth therapies amidst the evolving landscape of mental health treatment.
Advancing Psychotherapy for the Next Generation: Humanizing Mental Health Policy and Practice (Routledge, 2023) brings together a global community of mental health professionals to offer an impassioned defense of relationship-based depth psychotherapy. Expressing ideas that are integral to the mission of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), the authors demonstrate a shared vision of a world where this therapy is accessible to all communities. They also articulate the difficulties created by the current mental health diagnostic system and differing conceptualizations of mental distress, the shortsightedness of evidence-based care and research, and the depreciation of depth therapy by many stakeholders.
The authors thoughtfully elucidate the crucial importance of therapies of depth, insight, and relationship in the repertoire of mental health treatment and speak to the implications of PsiAN’s mission both now and in the future.With a distinguished international group of authors and a clear focus on determining a future direction for psychotherapy, this book is essential reading for all psychotherapists.
With a distinguished international group of authors and a clear focus on determining a future direction for psychotherapy, this book is essential reading for all psychotherapists.
Linda Michaels is not only an editor of this book, but the chair and co-founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), consulting editor of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, clinical associate faculty of the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, and fellow of the Lauder Institute Global MBA program. Linda is a psychologist with a private practice in Chicago.
Judith Tanen is an LP candidate at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy.