K.V. Timofeev-Gerasimov on the definition of psychotherapy in the Austrian law.
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Psychotherapy (from the Greek psyche — soul + therapeia — care, care, treatment) is a huge direction in practical psychology with unclear boundaries, concerning issues of helping a person in psychologically difficult situations for him by psychological means of influence.
Psychotherapy has no independent subject. There is no such client and there is no such request that would definitely require psychotherapeutic assistance.
Problems and difficulties of clients are solved not only by psychotherapists: they can be solved by coaches, counseling psychologists, lawyers, dentists, killers … — accordingly, not all work with problems is psychotherapy.
There is no need to look for childhood traumas behind every psychosomatics, and certain prohibitions are not always behind completeness. If a patient has a toothache, probably, first of all, he should turn to a dentist, and not to a psychotherapist.
The term «psychotherapy» was first introduced at the end of the 1872th century by the English physician Tuke. In his XNUMX book, An Illustration of the Influence of the Mind on the Body, one of the chapters is titled «Psychotherapy.» This word referred to the healing effect that the spirit of the patient could have on the body of the patient due to the influence of the doctor. Initially, psychotherapy developed as a branch of medicine, today it is clinical psychotherapy.
According to Austrian law (see video), “Psychotherapy is a comprehensive, conscious and targeted treatment of psychosomatically or psychosocially induced behavioral disorders and states of suffering, treatment using scientifically psychotherapeutic methods in interaction between the patient and the psychotherapist in order to mitigate or eliminate existing symptoms, change disturbed behaviors and attitudes, and to promote the maturity, development and health of the patient.”
Pay attention to the following key words: «treatment», «disorders», «states of suffering», «psychotherapeutic methods».
Psychotherapy is created by three moments: the Problem, the Patient and the Psychotherapist. More about it.
: the more difficult the case, the greater the loss of a person — the greater the basis for psychotherapy. It is important to understand that life’s difficulties can be perceived as both problems and tasks. Psychotherapy begins where the client has a psychological problem and ends where the problem disappears.
The simplest formula is: “Psychotherapy begins with the face of the client, on which suffering is drawn. Suffering from the face is gone — psychotherapy is over.
: the more people in the position of the Victim and in the role of the Patient (From patient — sick, patience — endure), namely, suffer, complain, wait for help and set up for treatment — the closer psychotherapy is. Energetic and strong people, people of action and author’s position, are closer to a healthy psychology, but there are a large number who are waiting and insistently demanding psychotherapy. When the client stops experiencing problems and begins to set goals, psychotherapy ends. When people work with a psychologist not in connection with problems, but in connection with tasks, this is no longer psychotherapy. This is a healthy psychology: personality development trainings, psychological consultations, coaching.
: the closer the psychotherapeutic setting is to the specialist, the easier he sees the client’s problems and begins to treat him. Psychotherapy is the work of psychotherapeutic methods, it is -. It is important to understand that treatment is not the only choice, treatment is indicated only if we see something as a symptom and assume that this or that painful disorder is behind it. If we see not a symptom or a painful disorder, but simply a lack of the necessary skill, we will not treat, but teach.
Behind insecure behavior and sitting at home, a psychotherapist will discern fears, low self-esteem and, possibly, childhood traumas, after which he will offer psychotherapy sessions. The synton approach in the same situation will offer to change the environment, leave the house, start making friends, master the author’s position and the elements of confident behavior.
This is one of the fundamental differences between psychotherapy and healthy psychology — where psychotherapy sees the need for treatment, healthy psychology first of all offers to teach. If people and psychotherapists inclined towards psychotherapy. For some, healthy psychology is more suitable, for others — psychotherapy.
If a client came to you with a problem, is in a problematic state, you listened to him for eight minutes, and after a couple of minutes you transferred him to the position of the Author and began to look for a solution to his problem together with him, then you were engaged in psychotherapy only for the first ten minutes. Then there was a normal psychological consultation and, possibly, a discussion of the program for developing the necessary skills. Healthy psychology.