Social and political perspectives on the psychotherapy and counselling profession: Returning caravelles

John Lees, Jane Macaskie, Dawn Freshwater

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The counselling and psychotherapy profession is changing. For the first time in its history, it has begun to receive substantial Government funding in the UK and it also has to contend with the principles of evidence-based practice and the policies of the New Public Management systems in many countries. This paper argues that such recent developments present challenges to the profession’s historical apolitical standpoint. More importantly, it argues that the present social and political climate offers many opportunities such as the possibility of learning from psychosocial practices in other countries. The paper will look, in particular, at what can be learned from Latin America and India where mental health care and psychological therapy have adopted grassroots involvement, health-focused approaches and innovatory therapeutic methods.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)298-314
Number of pages17
JournalEuropean Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling
Volume16
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

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