Please start to write something: then consult and conform with the Information and Guidelines for Authors (see "Authors" tab in top menu-bar above). All the submitted articles will go through the usual editorial vetting and blind peer-review (refereeing) process, and, once finalised, they will then be 'typeset'. Authors will receive a PDF version of their article that they can print out or 'post'. The whole 'issue' itself and all the articles in it will only be published "on-line" as downloadable PDF files.
The
suggestion for such a Special Issue came out of an on-going group meeting within the
EAP, about the 'Directions of Psychotherapy'. This open group has been meeting
for about 5 years, under the direction of Dr Habil. Alexander Filz (Ukraine), a former President of EAP and the IJP Associate Editor. He will be the Editor of this "Special Issue". Some of these ideas came from this group, and some have come from
"out there", and some have been "added" more recently.
So, these are some of the issues or topics that we
would like you to consider, or that you might like to try to address ...
* About
60-75% of referrals don't really need psychotherapy ... they just need simple, straightforward help with difficult or overwhelming 'life' issues ...
* There is
no proper consensus as to what the definition of psychotherapy really is: so ... what is it ? ... does it matter? ... who can do it ...
* There is no systematic or systemic research
that properly benefits the whole profession ...
* Everyone is more interested in their own particular piece of
the 'pie', than in being part of a whole new profession: discuss! ...
* We have
some very serious hierarchical and sectoral issues affecting the profession of psychotherapy ... with doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, nurses, politicians ... how should we work with these ...
* We have
really no idea of the shape or size of the profession ... or what we want to build
for the future of psychotherapy ... we just prefer the lots of different little shapes
and bits and pieces that we 'manage' ...
* We don't speak the same
language (professionally)and we have quite different terminologies, concepts, paradigms and outcomes ...
* Nobody
really practices now in the way they were originally trained: our training(s)
were NOT really "fit for purpose" then ... how do we make them so now ... and what about the future ...
* We can all
agree to similar professional and ethical issues ... and we all pay nominal 'lip service' to them ... AND YET ... what do we actually do in practice ... are complaints handled 'properly' ... are there any harmful 'side effects' ... contra-indications ... people for who psychotherapy is not appropriate ...
* What do we mean by a "successful" outcome ... and can we acknowledge our failures ... and do we have proper definitions of these concepts ...
* How do we - as professional psychotherapists - properly address the very serious bio-psycho-social issues that we see all the time in our patients/clients ... are we just involved in 'treatments' and 'cures', or are we involved in prevention ... can we reduce the number of people needing our help ...
* How
relevant is modern technology to psychotherapy ... how can psychotherapy use this technology properly ... without abusing the 'special (person-to-person) relationship' ...
* What is the 'proper place' for, or the relationship of the profession of psychotherapy with ... antidepressants ... psychopharmaology ... psychiatric wards or asylums ... the 'medical model' ... randomised controlled trials ... neuroscience ... spirituality ... mind-altering drugs ... gender (gay, lesbian, transvestites) reassignment ... refugees and asylums seekers ... the poor, elderly, underprivileged, oppressed ... children misbehaving in schools ... teenagers being anti-social in the streets ... increasing stress at work + pressure at home ... domestic violence ... etc. etc.
We look forward to your submissions!
