Newsgroups: bit.listserv.psycgrad
Date:         Thu, 9 Apr 1992 18:06:32 EDT
              <PSYCGRAD@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
From:         "Matthew Simpson" <054340@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Regression therapy

On Thu, 9 Apr 1992 17:59:34 EDT Someone       said:
>of whatever therapy he/she is using, to me is wrong.  Using an unproven or
>dubious therapy is unethical REGARDLESS of the manner in which this therapy
>is undertaken (not necessarily from the therapist's point of view - they
>may fully believe the therapy is efficacious - I'm talking about from
>psychology's point of view).  To continue to let therapists use unproven

If what you say is true, then one should be able to point me in the
direction of The Great Reference Book of Proven and Efficacious
Psychotherapies.  Furthermore, the use of any psychotherapy that is
not listed in The Great Reference  Book of Proven and Efficacious
Psychotherapies would be subject to malpractice under the ethical
code.

>To continue to let therapists use unproven
>treatments is to let plumbers take anvils, jackhammers, dynamite, crystal
>shards and belladonna to our pipes.  I think this is what Dave Fresco was
>alluding to earlier.
>

No wonder the field of psychotherapy is stuck.  According to this, it is
unethical to perform any psychotherapy that has not yet been proven.
Therefore, there is no way to invite discovery of new psychotherapies.

Also, what if a plumber would fix the plumbing with anvils, jackhammers,
dynamite, crystal shards, and belladonna?  What would be wrong with that?
Do you have some prejudice against these tools?  What is it based on?
What scares me is this type of logic.  It's almost like the thought
police.  In my own opinion, too opinionated. (please don't take this
as a flame; it is not directed personally)

>> As long as a therapist is operating within ethical and legal guidelines,
>> their psychotherapeutic methods are not suspect to legitimacy.
>
>This may be descriptive (certainly debatable), but I don't think it should
>be prescriptive.
>
Well said.  Thank you.  It was meant to be descriptive and as somewhat of
a devils advocate.  There is no citation, that I know of, from the ethical
code,that would make an arbitrary person susceptible to malpractice or
ethical review, solely on the basis of using some type of therapy.

The ethical code is always aimed to account for behaviors of the therapist;
not the therapy that is used.  Can anyone show me in the ethical code a
citation that says "The use of ________ therapy is unethical."?  I don't
think it can be done.  The same can be said for regression therapy.

Have some more fun.  Open wide.  Say "ah"    :-)

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