When I first posted the title question (and my answer, see below) on PsychCentral, I got a lot of responses—ranging from people who thanked me for broaching the subject to people who castigated me for broaching the subject!
Still, I think the conversation is one worth having.
So, is therapy the answer? Yes. It can be. If you have a mental illness, an addiction, a developmental disability, a serious relationship problem and various other problems, therapy can help you understand your problem, manage symptoms, find meaning in your situation and your life, and so on.
It can also be a good jumping off point or first step towards finding an answer if you don’t, though I believe that therapy isn’t necessarily the first or only place to turn.
What therapy isn’t is a panacea. Yet, that seems to be precisely the present paradigm. When people are lonely, questioning their lives, feeling shut out or shut down and they don’t know where to turn, today, in the 21st century Western World, a therapist’s office is often where they land.
(Also, today, medication is viewed as the answer to even minor problems).
Only after a comprehensive initial evaluation can it be determined if therapy is indicated. Sometimes, even if there is no clinical problem found during the evaluation, a few sessions can help a person get on the right track. And I know analysts and proponents of long-term psychotherapy for non-clinical reasons offer convincing arguments why these are helpful–and they can be.
But, I feel that there are too many people in therapy who don’t need to be. People whose primary, meaningful relationship in their lives is with their therapist. Shouldn’t therapists be helping people develop meaningful relationships they don’t have to pay for?
Let me qualify further in case my implications aren’t crystal clear–these observations are not absolutes. The evidence is clear: Therapy and medication do help people, and are necessary in many cases. (I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t believe this). Just not in every case.
I’d love to hear what you think, whether you’re a therapist, a patient, or neither! Please contact me by filling in this feedback form, or leaving a comment in the comment section.
Also, I’ve decided to post some beautiful/interesting photos and paintings, such as the one above by Alfred Sisley (Bridge at the Villeneuve la Garenne, 1872), even if they may not be about the subject matter at hand. I’d rather look at a landscape than a “therapy stock photo” any day. Hope you agree.
