Not everyone should be in therapy
Many patients misunderstand what therapy reliably provides.
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Therapy seems to have become the default prescription for all forms of unhappiness, says the writer.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
Harvey Lieberman
As a clinical psychologist with more than 50 years of experience, I know that therapy can be essential. A person with persistent intrusive thoughts can learn ways to reduce their intensity. Someone in an acute crisis can hear a perspective that helps steady his or her thinking.
But I hear from former patients and colleagues that people are often turning to therapy not because of disordered thoughts, but because of difficult circumstances: loneliness, conflicts at work, financial strain. Therapy seems to have become the default prescription for all forms of unhappiness.
