Helping People Find Therapists & Advocating for Ethical Therapy
Poll - Spring 2011
Are you in favor of state licensing boards requiring pre-licensed therapists to undergo psychotherapy as part of licensure requirements, assuming all potential issues are addressed and adequately resolved prior to implementing such a requirement?
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Dear Respondent,
Thanks for taking part in this poll. As a longtime advocate for reducing harm in psychotherapy, I was pleased to see the large number of therapists in favor of such a requirement. My operating belief is that the more training, consultation, and personal psychotherapy a therapist does, the less likely he or she will be to cause harm, to abuse power, or get their own needs met at the expense of their clients. However, the troubling reality is that there are practicing therapists who have never experienced therapy for themselves. This reality is what lies behind GoodTherapy.org's effort to gather more information from respondents like you and to see if there's anything our organization can do to improve the quality of psychotherapeutic care.
The poll results, especially respondent notes in the Comments section, have been extremely helpful, not just in gauging the level of support for making a change in licensure requirements, but in outlining the potential pitfalls inherent in such a change. Even though a clear majority of respondents were in favor of requiring pre-licensed therapists to undergo therapy of their own, those respondents who were not in favor of this requirement raised some very important and valid concerns which should be addressed. In an effort to address these concerns, GoodTherapy.org has conducted a qualitative analysis of the comments made by those who answered NO or MAYBE to the poll. The analysis yielded seven general categories of arguments against requiring pre-licensed therapists to undergo their own psychotherapy, and they are as follows:
- Therapy Must be Warranted by Illness
- Effectiveness As a Therapist May Not be Directly Linked with Having Done Therapy
- Not all Therapy is Created Equal - How to Assure Quality Control?
- People Should Not be Forced to Undergo Therapy
- Therapy Requirements Are Better Regulated at the Graduate School Level
- Monetary Cost Associated with Mandatory Therapy is a Potential Hardship
- Confidentiality Issues Are a Consideration
Over the next eight weeks, I will present summaries of, and possible solutions to, each argument against having pre-licensed therapists undergo their own therapy to meet state licensure requirements. It is my hope that you will get involved, share your ideas, and be part of the process of improving the quality of psychotherapy services. Below I've addressed the first argument against requiring pre-licensed therapists to undergo therapy. Please visit the following web page and leave your remarks: Therapy Must be Warranted by Illness
Kind Regards,
Noah Rubinstein, LMFT, Founder and CEO
GoodTherapy.org
200 West 34th Avenue, Suite 501
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Comments
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absolutely. i can not believe that this still has not been done. in addition, the time frame should be at least 3 months or 12 sessions so that "real" therapy can be done.
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I believe it should be strongly encouraged by the universities, but not required for licensure.
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Of course! One needs to be a client before a therapist. It is better training than any university could teach. Since the research suggest that our clients take on therapists morals and values - we better have our lifes in order!
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I work as a school counselor
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Individual psychotherapy should absolutely be a requirement. At one time I did a certificate program at the Chicago Center for Family Health- this issue came up and the therapists in training did not see the need. I recall realizing how unaware they were. Thank you for distributing this.
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One cannot provide best practices by reading about it, hearing about it or discussing it in classes, supervision and over lunch at a conference. A good therapist must experience the power of a trained professional's words via 'sitting on the other side of the office'.
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Excellent. I could not agree more!!!
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I think there should be a process where an intern needs to be evaluated and signed off that their own issues are adequately taken care of before they practice on their own.
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Criteria of the therapists they see is important and the difficult question to answer legally.
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Therapists should take an oath to be ethical and work on their issues as needed with other therapists.