See the interesting definition of Psychotherapy and near the bottom, read about the questionable effectiveness of psychotherapy here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy. It is amazing that no one ever demands a definite, cut-and-dried definition of psychotherapeutic techniques, but as you review the Wikipedia article, one sees all bases are covered in the effort to bring energy and alternative treatments under the control of Psychotherapists — any means by which a human could possibly engage with another is deemed a psychotherapy technique.
Psychotherapy has become a ‘controlled act’: The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (the “RHPA”) sets out the controlled act that relates to psychotherapy as follows:
14. Treating, by means of psychotherapy technique, delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behavior, communication or social functioning.
An ‘act’ becomes controlled when the practice or treatment is deemed to present an increased risk of harm to the client/patient.
What holistic healers do is not harmful, does not involve risk of harm and is not psychotherapy in any way shape or form, therefore we need not be ‘controlled’ and not incorporated into any profession that does pose a risk to the public, such as psychotherapists. If psychotherapists feel they do pose a risk to the public, thereby necessitating they become regulated under a ‘controlled act of psychotherapy’, that should not penalize the rest of us in the healing world who treat the same conditions SAFELY.
Wikipedia provides this explanation: Psychotherapy is therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client, patient, family, couple, or group. Simply, Psychotherapy is a general term for treating mental health problems by talking with a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health provider. During psychotherapy, one hopes to learn about their condition and moods, feelings, thoughts and behaviors, how to take control of one’s life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills. The problems addressed are psychological in nature and can vary in terms of their causes, influences, triggers, and potential resolutions. Accurate assessment of these and other variables depends on the practitioner’s capability and can change or evolve as the practitioner acquires experience, knowledge, and insight.
There is no such thing as a psychological problem that does not have a spiritual/subconscious root, but again, we see how the prevailing narrative is about how ‘treating mental health problems’ is reduced down to an act of psychotherapy, although in the same breath it is added “…Psychotherapy is a general term”. (no doubt to reinforce the notion that anyone who engages in any assessment and treatment of human issues is engaged in psychotherapy). Note the reference to how the problems addressed can vary in many different ways (again to cast the net over all human disturbances and issues).
In fact, the term psychotherapy is so general that a psychiatric service dog could be accused of providing assessment and treatment of a disorder of thought and behavior when the dog assesses that his owner is becoming very upset and treats them by distracting and otherwise engaging the owner until he/she calms down.
We see psychotherapists referring to condition, moods, feelings, thoughts, behaviors and so on…all facets of human life that we all work with successfully using energy/spiritual/cognitive approaches. Then by suggesting treatment involving such areas of life (disturbances) may be risky to the client, they then pressed to make such treatment by anyone a ‘controlled act’ to eliminate those not controlled, such as energy healers and hypnotherapists.
No mental/spiritual/emotional health provider really cares if psychotherapists have their control over themselves, but the broad and vague definition of psychotherapy and by extension ‘the controlled act of psychotherapy’ must not include those who do not consider themselves engaged in psychotherapy but who nonetheless assess and treat the same conditions of life as do psychotherapists in a safe and dignified way.
Scope of practice of a Psychotherapist: The practice of psychotherapy is the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances by psychotherapeutic means, delivered through a therapeutic relationship based primarily on verbal or non-verbal communication. BUT LOOK AT THE EXPLANATION OF JUST WHAT ‘PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC MEANS’ ACTUALLY REFERS TO ABOVE.
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