“One obstacle to innovation...is branding of psychological interventions...branding prevents dissemination and implementation of psychological therapies, and stifles innovation by implying ownership.”

From The Lancet

Anger management, ACT, Solution-focused therapy, DBT, CAT.

Powerful brand names in the therapeutic marketplace.

A recent article in The Lancet has suggested that the branding of psychological treatments might be preventing knowledge from being shared and helpers from developing new skills for helping.

Branding is about one thing - money.

It raises brand awareness for therapists and It controls who can use their treatment - only those trained by them or trainers trained by them. It allows governments and service providers to feel safe about using discreet treatments that have an endpoint and that lend themselves to being tested through randomised controlled trials.

Heaven help those therapists who haven't attended the latest PD, or spent hundreds on training packages that are marketed as "the answer" to drinking, domestic violence, anxiety or depression.

We all know that mental health problems are multi-faceted and have multifactorial causes including structural ones. These are generally not things that can be cured by a one-size-fits-all approach or a package of limited sessions.

Insights can be found in all modalities, but in the large grey area that is human emotion and personal growth, none of us has all the answers. 

Just being able to sit with someone who is in pain without trying to find a solution  -  without attempting to distract or dazzle with a clever interpretation, can be the greatest challenge of all.

Especially when we (and our clients, funding bodies, organisations and governments) desperately want (and need) to believe in a quick fix. 

Psychotherapy is not designed to be an easy or fast solution and that can be a barrier to some of those who need it most.

It can be expensive, challenging, at times disappointing, exhausting and frustrating, yet it can also provide us with some of the greatest moments of connection and help us find meaning - and deeper healing.

excellent article on psychotherapy and the evidence base from Vinodha Joly LMFT

More about Psychotherapy from the Recovery Room Blog