In this issue
Features
Working with sex听offenders听(free article)
Andrew Smith highlights a听key preventive role for private听practitioners.
What鈥檚 in a label?
Carol Swanson explores the听influence of a mental health听diagnosis on the therapeutic听relationship.
Circle Diagram: a visual听aid to therapy
David Waite presents his听use of diagrams in therapy.
Living with a deafened听partner
Dick Hill talks to the partners听of people with acquired听hearing loss.
Counselling across听cultures
Man茅 Kumria describes听how counselling can change听the lives of Indian women.
Regulars
Your views
Jeanine Connor: Fatherless worlds
Premila Trivedi: Who holds the power?
Beverley Costa: Between two worlds
News focus: When therapy does harm
A major study at Shef铿乪ld University is challenging counsellors and therapists to accept that what they do can both help and harm. Catherine Jackson reports
How I became a therapist
Penny Leake
Dilemmas
To hug or not to hug?
From the chair
Andrew Reeves reflects on the challenge of change as 网爆门 embarks on a new strategic plan
Members and subscribers can download the pdf from the Therapy Today archive.
Editorial: Power and harm
Continuing last month鈥檚 theme of听counsellors going into places the rest of听society would rather forget about, in this听issue Andrew Smith describes his work听with sex offenders. I don鈥檛 recall having听published any articles on this subject in听the last 15 years, which would suggest听that not many of our members practise in听this area.
I do remember interviewing the听late Ray Wyre, in the early 1990s, about听his pioneering work with sex offenders听and about the obstacles he came up听against because of perceptions of sex听offenders within the criminal justice听system. He once said, 鈥楨ven in the people听who are hated by society, there is a good听person lurking in there somewhere.鈥�
As a member of society, Andrew Smith听says he cannot avoid being affected by听the demonised identity of sex offenders听in the public mind. As a therapist听working with sex offenders, he says听that, in order to form an unconditionally听non-judgmental alliance with the client,听he has to bracket a range of negative听feelings. Andrew also makes a convincing听case for the need for more preventive听counselling support in the community听for this group 鈥� after all this is a听growing problem: 50,000 people in听the UK are viewing indecent images of听children online and this figure is likely听to increase. With the right help at the听right time, Andrew believes many low-risk听offenders may be able to reduce,听manage or completely stop harmful听sexual behaviour.
Another subject that we don鈥檛 hear听much about in the therapy press is the听potential for therapy to harm clients.听This is the focus of the AdEPT study听at Sheffield University, led by Professor听Glenys Parry. One in 20 clients of听psychological therapies say they听experienced 鈥榣asting bad effects鈥� from听their treatment. AdEPT鈥檚 findings tell听us that the harm is rarely due to actual听malpractice; issues around power came听out time and time again in qualitative听research with clients: the client鈥檚 sense听of lack of voice, lack of power, feeling听belittled and judged. These issues are听also raised by Premila Trivedi, writing听from a client鈥檚 perspective in the Your听Views columns this month. Many of听the professional systems and practices听seemed to her to be 鈥榬igidly prescribed,听with in-built power relations that are听more about upholding the credibility and听status of the particular therapeutic model听rather than empowering and addressing听the needs of the individual client鈥�.
Sarah Browne
Editor