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?
|
Chart.
|
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
-
I don't know what "all potential issues" includes, but I wouldn't want someone to not get their licensure because they couldn't afford therapy, or there were some logistical obstacles that were beyond the student's control.
-
definitely!!!!!
-
Never having been in personal therapy should not be a determinate. Experience in a therapeutic setting is managed throughout the practicum, internship before degree conferral and through the licensure process after graduation. If the purpose is to screen and evaluate the personal life/issues of the clinician, that cannot be determined as a gatekeeping procedure through individual therapy.
-
I believe it is vital a therapist addresses thier own issues in therapy. I also believe a therapist should be proactive in participating in on going supervision.
-
I would be in favor of a minimum of 3 sessions with a psychotherapist for the purpose of identifying any issues that need to be worked on before the the prelicensed therapist is licensed. Credit toward hours for licensure should be give for these sessions and subsequent follow-up therapy sessions up to a maximum decided by the Board of the license applied for.
-
While I would encourage interns to experience therapy before they attempt providing the same - I stop short of supporting state licensing boards to make this a legal mandate
-
I absolutely think that requiring pre-licensed individuals to undergo therapy to fulfill licensure requirements would be beneficial for both the pre-licensed clinician and his/her client's. I believe that continuing psychotherapy and counseling throughout our careers is important in keeping us in balance, and allowing room for transformation and growth within ourselves making us even more authentic and effective therapists.
-
I'm a billing service, have mental health providers as clients. I think they should have some testing to make sure they are in the correct profession, can help the public they are attempting to help
-
The consumers that are presenting today represent circumstances which require interventions radically different than 30 years ago. I support that individuals who are providing therapy are supervised by senior practioners and document experiencing therapy as a part of obtaining credentials in their field. Steve Gonzalez LMSW CSS supervisor
-
I am a graduate student of Counseling - so not quite yet in the feild. Psychotherapy? - maybe...some form of therepy - definately!
