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9781138886391

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Reviews

The helping professions have been increasingly influenced by the prevailing political and economic climate since the 1980s. This book contains a set of timely reflections on how counselling and psychotherapy are affected by the current zeitgeist. They make it abundantly clear that the modernist paradigm, as exemplified by both a state-endorsed version of 'therapy' such as IAPT and NICE's overemphasis on the value of randomised controlled trials, is totally incompatible with non-prescriptive, potentially transformative, 'authentic' therapy. This book is an important wake-up call to the pernicious effect of various aspects of neoliberalism, particularly the practices and language associated with it. In the Brave New World of 'managed care' public discourse is in danger of falling into a moral vacuum, leading to a general loss of the real meaning of 'care'. I hope that this book will be widely read.- Dr Els van Ooijen, Psychotherapist, counsellor and supervisor in private practice, Visiting lecturer in Consultative Supervision to the University of South Wales Incisive and timely, this collection of critiques of contemporary professional therapy contains astute analysis and radical political challenge regarding the neoliberal trend of managed care, IAPT and associated societal dynamics, presented by some of the most knowledgable observers in the field. It is a gauntlet of a book, not to be missed by all who care about the future of mental health and psychological therapies.- Colin Feltham, Emeritus Professor of Critical Counselling Studies, Sheffied Hallam University

Author Information

John Lees is Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of Leeds and counselling and psychotherapy practitioner in private practice in London and Sussex. He is editor of a Routledge journal, Psychodynamic Counselling (now Psychodynamic Practice), a Routledge book series, co-editor of four books and has published numerous book chapters and professional articles. He designed an MSc in Therapeutic Counselling, was programme leader of that course for twelve years and co-designed three other therapy-orientated postgraduate courses at the University of Greenwich. He has spoken at conferences in the United States, Japan and Australia, has been visiting scholar at colleges or universities in Japan, Australia and India, and has designed a course on anthroposophic psychotherapy in Japan.

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