When does therapy cause harm?

When does therapy cause harm?

Yes, it’s more likely that therapy will do good than do harm. But the dark secret in the mental health world is that therapy can cause harm. People who’ve been to a bad therapist can tell you: bad therapy is worse than no therapy at all. Sometimes “bad therapy” is simply ineffective.

What do you do when your therapist isn’t helping you?

If therapy isn’t working, the first person you should talk to is your therapist. She may opt to change her approach to treatment, pursue more “homework” options for you, or even refer you to another therapist.

What happens if CBT doesn’t work?

They might then offer you other types of talking therapy or counselling if CBT doesn’t work. This approach is sometimes called stepped care. It might mean you need to try CBT before you can get other treatments. “CBT is learning to stop the cycle of negative thinking.

Can a therapist make things worse?

A team led by mental health research professor Mike Crawford, from Imperial College London, surveyed 14,587 people who were receiving or had recently received therapy for depression or anxiety, and found that 5.2\% felt that they suffered “lasting bad effects” as a direct result of their treatment.

Do therapists do more harm than good?

Outcome studies of psychotherapy indicate that 3 to 10\% of clients actually fare worse after treatment. In substance abuse treatment, these numbers are as high as 10 to 15\%.

What disorders does CBT not work for?

In a landmark 2009 review published in the journal Psychological Medicine, the study authors concluded that: (CBT) is of no value in treating schizophrenia and has limited effect on depression. The authors also concluded that CBT is also ineffective in preventing relapses in bipolar disorder.

Why do so many people not go to therapy?

Many people do not actually want to do the work to change what they are struggling with, but merely want to go to therapy to vent every week, without wanting to develop more self-awareness and/or apply this to their life. Therapists are not magicians, and therefore cannot help a person change anyone else besides the client.

Do therapists act out with clients?

The therapist who is able to identify and work through these personal conflicts is far less likely to “act out” with their clients in ways that can potentially be destructive. In fact, some have argued that therapy should be a requirement for anyone entering the profession.

Why are we stuck with clients going nowhere in therapy?

Another reason we remain stuck with clients going nowhere in therapy is that most of us keep “progress notes” instead of tracking outcomes. I confess to this habit, especially when it came to a couple I’d been seeing for several years.

Do people who enter psychotherapy today get help at all?

Many people who enter psychotherapy today aren’t helped at all. Some end up more troubled than when they began treatment. And ironically, some therapists are examples of the kinds of problems they’re trying to treat. In this post I explain why that is and how to become a more informed consumer when considering psychotherapy.