Professional Licensing
Professional licensing assures that a therapist meets minimum standards
of training and expertise. If a therapist is not licensed, pass them up—
there’s usually a reason for it.
Experience
When I first got out of graduate school in the early 1970s, I thought that
the best therapists were the ones who knew the most up-to-date tech-
niques. At that time, there was actually some reason other than my own
bravado for believing that. In the last quarter of the 20th century, therapy
went through two spectacular paradigm shifts in both psychology and psy-
chiatry, with the advent of behavioral treatment and the availability of
medications for most mental disorders.
Since then, there have not been radical changes. Though keeping
up is still as important as it ever was, I now believe that the best therapists
are the ones who have lived through enough fads and fashions in the field
to recognize the central elements that have remained constant.
Exaggerated Concern with Confidentiality
Therapists cannot give out any information about clients without their per-
mission. Usually in writing. Without appropriate releases, a therapist cannot
even admit that someone is his or her client, much less tell you anything
about treatment. This can seem frustrating and obstructive if you’re a fam-
ily member of an explosive person who is calling for advice. Don’t mistake
the therapist’s unwillingness to give you information as a sign of incom-
petence.
But confidentiality does not cancel out accountability. The pros rec-
ognize that clients don’t live in a vacuum, and will somehow involve the
people closest to them, often inviting friends and family to a conjoint ses-
sion. Rarely will a therapist see two members of the same family individ-
ually except for a meeting or two. The primary treatment relationship
always takes precedence, though that may be with a couple or a whole
family, in which cases everyone involved would be seen by the therapist
together.
If an emotionally explosive person in your life is in therapy, you don’t
need to know every detail of the sessions. You should have an overall idea
Where to Get Help ❧ 279