Beyond the Therapeutic State

Del Loewenthal is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapy and Counselling at the University of Roehampton, London, UK. He is an existential-analytic psychotherapist, photographer and chartered psychologist, with a particular interest in phenomenology. His books include Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling after Postmodernism (Routledge 2017). www.delloewenthal.com; www.safpac.co.uk. Ottar Ness is family therapist, Professor of Counselling at Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Adjunct Professor of Mental Healthcare at the University of South-Eastern Norway and Nord University, Norway. He has a particular interest in recovery and recovery-oriented services and practises in mental health and substance abuse care. Billy Hardy is Senior Lecturer in Systemic Psychotherapy at the Family Institute, University of South Wales, UK, and has been course leader for the postgraduate clinical training for many years. He has a professional background in mental health and mental health nursing. He also offers professional consultation to a wide variety of practitioners in the mental health and social care fields.

Introduction: Beyond the Therapeutic State
Chapter One: The triumph of American psychiatry: How it created the modern therapeutic state
Chapter Two: Children’s mental health: Time to stop using psychiatric diagnosis
Chapter Three: Psychiatric diagnosis, ‘thought styles’ and ex post facto fact fallacies
Chapter Four: Radical Presence: Alternatives to the therapeutic state
Chapter Five: The extended therapy room
Chapter Six: From victimhood to sisterhood – A practice-based reflexive inquiry into narrative informed work with women who have experienced sexual abuse
Chapter Seven: Psychotherapy and its alternatives: Commentary on a critique
Chapter Eight: Dark Clouds
Chapter Nine: Altermodernity and the unfortunate need to train critical psychotherapists and counsellors