Eleven Blunders that Cripple Psychotherapy in America

Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D., Sc.D., is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Clinical Psychology, and President, Foundation for Behavioral Health at the University of Nevada at Reno. Dr. Cummings is a Past-President of the American Psychological Association.William T. O’Donohue, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Nevada. He is a full professor of clinical psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a member of the Association for the Advancement for Behavior Therapy. He has edited over thirty books, co-authored three books, and published more than one hundred articles in scholarly journals.

"I was very excited to get this proposal as I admire the authors and their previous professional contributions. I found the book to have a good message but a terrible presentation. The authors make many bold and critical statements that need references and supporting material. The presentation needs to be more factual and less: 1) APA bashing, and 2) author self aggrandizement. I would recommend any book that Cummings and O’Donohue want to do. I would caution Routledge to make sure that the content is presented in a more professional manner."- Jon Carlson, Psy.D., Ed.D., distinguished professor of Psychology and Counseling, Governors State University"If this is a representative sample of the book, I am sure that it has the potential of being widely read and critically acclaimed. Because the center issue appears to be the role of APA, I think the authors might want to re-consider the title of the book. The title 'Eleven Blunders…' exaggerates the issues and it does not match the example chapter. Alternative titles that seem to be a better fit might be 'The Dirty Dozen of Psychology' or 'The Dirty Secret of APA.' Another strategy might be to emphasize the history aspect (e.g., 'The Beginnings of Clinical Psychology of America'). I think this would also attract a greater readership. I hope the authors find these comments helpful, and I am looking forward to the publication of this book."- Stefan G. Hofmann, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychology, Boston University "People who have known Nick Cummings will find this a legacy statement. He seeks to insure survival and growth of the therapy profession and describes what many will find distasteful but necessary medicine. He describes recent trends and developments in a detailed and controversial manner. Nevertheless, the book is eminently readable. In other words, readers will find it interesting if not gripping. I highly recommend that this book be published; the sooner the better. There is none like it in the field and many people who share these viewpoints will be able to reference them with highly respected and credible authors. Some readers will cheer and others will jeer! Cummings and O'Donohue challenge the professional organizations as well as individuals to confront their apathy, irrelevance, denials and misbegotten worldviews. The authors boldly, forcefully and courageously speak out about the unspoken and underlying death wish that has infiltrated the therapy profession. I applaud them, thank them and join the increasingly cheering chorus of supporters." - Robert E. Wubbolding, EdD, professor emeritus, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio"Overall this book has many great points and insight-provoking ideas. This is especially true of the Unblundering content of the proposed chapters. This book could actually stand on its own with only the Unblundering content. I do believe Dr. Cummings has 2 Chapters which stand out (Chapters 9 & 10) and these do so because he focuses on the issues and less on his own personal history. If the other chapters, especially the first few, were written to follow this style, then the reader would be less distracted by the personal tangents."- Laura Ellsworth, M.A., L.H.M.C., Choices in Healing"...psychologists who participate in the health care system may want to turn to this provocative new volume to stimulate our thinking as we chart our role in our own future. Eleven Blunders That Cripple Psychotherapy in America: A Remedial Unblundering is likely to be of greatest interest to psychologists who participate in...organizations that will influence the direction, form, and implementation of mental health's place within health care reform...Cummings's vision has historically been bold, and this volume is no exception."- Jean Carter, Ph.D., PsychCRITIQUES

• Preface: The 50-minute Hour in a Nanosecond Era. Foreword: Our Founders Were Economically Savvy. Blunder 1: We Successors are Economic Illiterates. Blunder 2: We Turned Our Charismatic Leaders into Gurus. Blunder 3: Don’t Worry, Managed Care is a Passing Fad. Blunder 4: We are Not a Healthcare Profession. Blunder 5: At War with Ourselves: Failure of the Profession to Own its Training. Blunder 6: Our Anti-business Bias, an Inadvertent Vow of Poverty. Blunder 7: Our Public Relations: A Disaster or Just a Fiasco? Blunder 8: Political Correctness: We No Longer Speak as a Science and Profession. Blunder 9: Creating Patients Where There are None. Blunder 10: Diversity Fiddles While Practice Burns. Blunder 11: RxP: Is this Our Sole Economic Thrust? Afterword: Hope for a Profession of Endearing Losers.