TY - JOUR
T1 - Social and political perspectives on the psychotherapy and counselling profession
T2 - Returning caravelles
AU - Lees, John
AU - Macaskie, Jane
AU - Freshwater, Dawn
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Grassroots perspectives
KW - New Public Management
KW - practitioner perspectives
KW - psychological therapy in developing countries
KW - society and politics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84911432562&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13642537.2014.956772
DO - 10.1080/13642537.2014.956772
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84911432562
SN - 1364-2537
VL - 16
SP - 298
EP - 314
JO - European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling
JF - European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling
IS - 4
ER -