Clinical Psychology: A Critical Examination

Craig Newnes is editor of The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy (formerly Changes), and a commissioning editor and author for our Critical Psychology division. Prior to his retirement he was Director of Psychological Therapies for Shropshire. He has a life time commitment to the NHS and is an outspoken critic of the hypocrisy, self interest, confusion and downright lies which characterise so much of the practise of psychiatry and psychology. He believes that unhappiness is a form of heresy and most of the misery for which people seek help is only amenable to alleviation through changes in their material lives.

This thoughtful, scholarly and incisive critique of clinical psychology is a must read for all trainees, trainers and practitioners. This thoroughly readable book is compassionate and ultimately optimistic - his is not a deconstruction that leaves us without thought or hope for a different future. Craig Newnes is one of a very few clinical psychologists who dares to write both critically and self-reflexively about professional practice - its histories, abuses, legacies, values and promises. Professor Arlene Vetere, Deputy Director PsychD Clinical Psychology, University of Surrey. This wide-ranging critique of the theory and practice of contemporary clinical psychology will provoke thoughtful reflection about the profession's past and lead to debate about its future. Dr Dave Harper, Reader in Clin Psych, University of East London.