You may want to check out Seligman's "What you can Change and What you can't." It presents the research on what works and what doesn't in therapy and other change-promising programs.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Figlady, Another interesting read is "What you can change and what you can't." by Martin Seligman. Really anything by Seligman is going to be good. He is appropriately critical of much of what passes for "therapy" which has little to no evidence of working.
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

Hi Figlady, I got a notification that you responded. I'm really happy to hear that you are trusting yourself and your judgment. It's been quite a while since I first wrote and in that time I've had a few experiences that have quite honestly left me with an incredibly bad taste in my mouth for the entire therapy/psychology profession. I do think that there are some good
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

Just to add. In my opinion, 2 years is an outer limit for length of a therapeutic relationship. My rules of thumb: 3 months is a reasonable length for adjustment-type issues, relationship conflicts, uncomplicated grief, phobias, etc 6-12 months for substantial problems such as major depression, complicated grief, anxiety disorders 12-24 months for serious psychopathology, dissociative id
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

Figlady, Thanks for the reply! I'm glad you found it helpful and appreciate your questions - they are good ones. I feel like I should start with a few disclaimers: - I apologize in advance if I write a book here. I feel really passionately about ethical issues in counseling. - I am writing my own opinions, from my own personal and professional experience. You should take every
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

I think there is something off about Gestalt therapy altogether. My experiences with people who are into it as counselors or clients is that they are cult-y. The exercises can be very psychologically dangerous. They dig in for extreme reactions so that you never know what you are going get. Many therapists use a couple of Gestalt techniques - and I think that in the context of individual co
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse

Hi Figlady, I hope you are still around to read this - I am particularly struck by the following: "if I ever raise questions or express criticism about any aspect of the therapy, he stops me and says that is a defense and that we need to look at why i am so critical, etc. And if I ever suggest that maybe something else would help me more, he brings up my character defense of needing to
Forum: Clergy and Therapy Abuse