Therapy Beyond Modernity

Richard House Ph.D. is Senior Lecturer in Psychotherapy, Counselling and Counselling Psychology at Roehampton University's Research Centre for Therapeutic Education (RCTE), and a trained Steiner Kindergarten and Class Teacher.

'Richard House's reasoned and passionate critisisms of, and challenges to, the institution of professionalised therapy demand serious consideration and informed response. Anyone remotely interested in the future of psychotherapy and counselling in this country must, quite simply, read this book.'- Professor Ernesto Spinelli, School of Psychotherapy and Counselling at Regent's College, London'This is a highly stimulating read, drawing on a wide range of relevant sources, and is fuelled not by cynisism but by truthseeking. Can and should there be a "post-professional" era in the field of therapy? Read this astute and sincere bok to find out.'- Dr Colin Feltham, Reader in Counselling, Sheffield Hallam University'House extends the scope of academic disquiet over the short-comings of therapy into a thorough passionate critique of what "the professionals" have done to therapy and what this does to all of us.'- Ian Parker, Professor of Psychology, Discourse Unit, Manchester Metropolitan University'...a splendid contribution to the dialogue which will probably determine the future of counselling and psychotherapy in our country.'- Professor Brian Thorne, University of East Anglia, Norwich'Therapists taking this book's message to heart might just reconstruct themselves as more modest assistants to the self-examination and -fashioning of those seeking autonomy in line with contemporary ethical and cultural obligations.'- Nikolas Rose, Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Foreword -- Introduction -- The Profession-Centred Therapy Form -- Therapy in deconstructive perspective -- Therapy's “regime of truth” -- Deconstructing profession-centred therapeutic practice: I. Resistance, boundaries and "frame", holding, "material" generation -- Deconstructing profession-centred therapeutic practice: II. Confidentiality, safety, abuse, ethics -- "Consumer" Experiences of Profession-Centred Therapeutic Practice -- Experiences of profession-centred therapeutic practice: I. Background issues -- Rosie Alexander's Folie à Deux -- Ann France's Consuming Psychotherapy -- Anna Sands' Falling for Therapy -- A New Paradigm, Post-Professional Era? -- Precursor of post-modernity: the phenomenon of Georg Groddeck -- The “New Paradigm” challenge: intimations of a post-professional era -- Whither “Post-Professional” Therapy? -- Reflections on profession-centred therapy -- Elaborations on the “post-professional” era -- Conclusion: who, then, would be a therapist? -- Afterword