Message from discussion Therapy works?

From: cogni...@aol.com (Cognito2)
Subject: Re: Therapy works?
Date: 1996/03/21
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reply-to: cogni...@aol.com (Cognito2)
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Dear Scott,
   Sounds like half+ of therapists are a pretty messed up bunch (start
treatment in graduate school, but do not finish during that time !).  And
they have an average of 80 sessions!   EEEEK.  Good adaptation may have
most to do with empathy, according to some of the best current work in
personality theory.  Empathy is a major part of helping.   Also:  Many
leaders in the field believe that SELECTION is VERY important , as far as
what makes for who will be a good counselor/"therapist", but they also
believe this area is neglected !!-- b jesness

Scott said:

Sarah,

I know someone who surveyed graduate students in psychotherapy related
fields to find out how many received or are receiving treatment, so I can
add to and generally concur with Kelly's estimate above. 

According to my friend's survey (which might be published by now...) she
found that of 1018 respondents, 746 (73.2%) had been or currently were in
treatment.  The rest (26.7%) had never been in treatment. 

Of those who had treatment, 554 (74.3%) began during graduate school, and
192 (25.7%) began and completed treatment before graduate school.  Average
length of treatment for one course was 79.5 sessions, (median = 40;  mode
= 24).  Average lifetime treatment sessions was 130.1 (median = 66;  mode
= 20).  Although I don't have the N for this last datum, it suggests that
at least some respondents had more than one treatment episode (i.e., began
and ended with a therapist more than once). 

>
>
>: Sarah
>
> Thank you, Sarah.
>
> kelly

Just in case you were interested,

Scot
-- 
\----/  Scot McNary            \----/
 ||||   Graduate Student        ||||  
 ||||   University of Maryland  ||||
/----\                         /----\




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 Ask us about BRAD:    It is a client and science advocacy group,
dedicated to furthering science standards and practices in the therapy
field.  We insist on fair and proper representation of treatments and on
providing information about costly or limited treatment options 
available to clients "up front".  We believe options and evidence of their
efficacies should be provided to clients before they enter a course of
counseling or therapy. The various treatments and programs offered by each
professional mental health service provider should be 
outlined in some detail in a booklet made available to clients. Only this
would provide reasonable information before the expense of and commitment
to a course of treatment. 
    Only where a there is a reliably identifiable problem type (showing --
in research -- evidence of good inter-rater reliability in diagnosis) AND
there is evidence of a clear and repeatable technique with demonstrated
efficacy, should treatment be referred to as "therapy."  Otherwise what is
done is the major cooperative endeavor know as COUNSELING. This requires a
well-adapted helper, with much consideration and openness, using the most
intelligence, self-control, and judgement.  -- some demands of BRAD
(organization name subject to change)