(PCCS BOOKS, 2 Cropper Roaw, Alton Road, ROSS-ON-WYE, HR9 5LA, UK)
by Denis Postle
Reviewed by Beatrice Popescu
EJOP founding editor
Denis Postle, the author of this book, is not the typical therapist or writer. He epitomizes the creative personality with a history of two decades as an accomplished documentary film-maker, who decided to use his talent and devotion to make psychotherapy a fit home for the human spirit. He co-founded the Independent Practictioner’s Network (IPN), a structure of professionals offering self and peer-accreditations, with no hierarchy and low bureaucracy, with no central administration, but accessible to any practitioner who meet the criteria. He also developed an internet journal http://ipnosis.postle.net/, a rich resource for any practitioner interested in news on state regulation issues. Producer of over forty films prior to 1985, Denis published four books and one CDROM, in a half dozen language editions, on personal and professional development and related topics. For the last 15 years, the author has edited, written and maintained a series of web-sites devoted to psycho practice issues.
Denis Postle’s new book, ‘Regulating the Psychological Therapies – From Taxonomy to Taxidermy, is for anyone with an interest in counseling, psychotherapy and the human psyche. The book is addressed not only to people who are directly affected by or working with regulation issues of psychotherapeutic practice, but also to those of us who live and work in the consumer society and are concerned and unsure that the human spirit could be institutionalized.
Book description
The book is divided into three parts of varying length and purpose.
The Introduction allows the reader to listen to the strong voice of the dominant discourse of psychotherapy professionalisation and draws attention to the new cultural shift the author and his colleagues noticed developing in last years: the shift from an open-ended, self-directed environment to a more consumerist attitude, at its center standing questions like: “What is the product I am buying?”. The author ironically wonders how working alliances may be shaped in therapy by employer-led, job-description-driven, cost-effective goals? The author voices his concern that the therapy market is being currently rigged and its diversity is endangered by installing monocultures of the mind and soul.
Each of three parts casts a new and different light on professionalisation issues. In the last chapter called “Psychopractice for a Post-modern Era” of the first part “Waking Up to the Shadow of Professionalisation”, Denis Postle remains critical about any idea of unification of psycho practice trends and insists on pluralism in graduate school training and variations in clinical theory and practice. He cannot resist the temptation of criticizing the “manage care”, the US insurance industry which is guilty for turning the “cottage industry of psychotherapy” into a production line delivering standardized treatments. Author’s background of documentary film-making is inexorably leading him to reveal a rather similar realistic view as Michael Moore’s work recently presented at Cannes film festival.
Part Two is divided into eleven chapters, each chapter dealing with a controversial issue. In chapter fifteen, ’Registering Human Nature’ he draws a signal upon the assumption made in ‘Psychotherapy Bill’ that is registrar and all practitioners are male. The Bill is envisaged as a very important document that attempts to put certain definitions of what is ‘human’ and ‘nature’, but in a male-dominant, hierarchical, autocratic view. Chapter twenty two explores efficiency of therapy based on more formal approaches: ’Did it work?’, “Did I get the help I needed?’, quoting research studies showing that academic and technical competence is contributing as little as 15 percent to client outcomes, placebo effects are seen as at least important. Conclusion is: present forms of psychotherapy/counseling accountability rely too much on qualifications, training, continue professional development, plus supervision to support and sustain practitioner capability, while neglecting client education and information.
Part Three is divided into twelve chapters, consisting in articles, press releases published by different professional associations on the regulation issues in UK and also statement of opposition to the state regulation of psychotherapy, counseling and psychoanalysis. It deals with issues such as civic accountability, protecting client experience and ethical standards. Perhaps one of the most courageous steps in articulating their concern over regulations was IPN issuing the Statement of Opposition to the State Regulation of Psychotherapy, Counseling and Psychoanalysis, which is considered an historic moment deserving to be fully presented at chapter thirty-three.
The author’s thesis against state regulation of psychotherapeutic professions stands on arguments from ecology, human nature, incongruity and creative style. He hopes that generating awareness within the community will create better premises for therapists to provide superior services for their clients.
In his view, the issue of power seems to be hugely affected by the model of human nature that is implicit in any particular form of psycho-practice. ‘At least two divergent models are abroad at the moment. One, the psychodynamic one, characterizes human nature as a veneer of civility over a chaotic mass of destructive and sexual impulses, in which control and regulation is essential, because it naturalizes ‘power-over’ relations expressed through hierarchical structures. The other model of human nature, the broadly humanistic one, sees human beings as intrinsically ok, except as their unfolding potential has been damaged. Practitioners who subscribe to it prefer ‘power-with’ structures, with an emphasis on diversity of practitioner’s style and self-reflexive regulation.’
One of the most interesting and useful feature of the book is a user guide to psycho-practice: ‘Protecting the client experience,’ evolved from the complexity of clients’ cases he encountered throughout his career as a counselor or group facilitator.
The consequent purpose of the book is to examine the necessity of state regulation of the psycho-practice, in its diversity and to challenge it. It is also an important document charting the story of attempts to regulate psychotherapy in the UK. The years spend as a documentary film-maker has made this attempt easier and more constructive. As the author shows, psychotherapy is at such an early stage of its development with no clear theoretical agreement as to purpose and methodology, that regulation is likely to inhibit new thinking and perhaps crush innovation and creativity.
Compromising creativity is one of the main concerns Denis Postle has. He obviously fears that the extended definition of ‘roles’, ‘standards’, ‘disciplines’, ultimately manages to inhibit psychotherapeutic creativity and create a ‘pasteurized’, risk-averse practice.
The author notices with subtle irony that many of the organizations who are active in the present moves to professionalisation seem to be economically committed to psychotherapy training. He wonders if protecting clients’ interests is really at the centre of the moves to create a psychotherapy ‘profession’, wouldn’t an association using a ‘business’ or a ‘trade’ model, as the other service industries, actually be more appropriate?
The questions that arise upon reading Denis Postle’s controversial book are: how the future model of psycho-practice will look like in the future and should we actually fear that there are premises for this field to turn into an industry?