I am glad there are some good classes where you are.

I do think group, or class, stuff can be done well and be beneficial. Though this is not to devalue the experience of those who’ve experienced pretty awful ones.

I do think there are people running excellent workshops where individual experience is respected and used. I think there are lots of these (though probably still a minority of the workshops and classes available – at least in my experience).

Like you I think one-on-one therapy will always be needed.

Thanks for your excellent comment.

I’m now thinking of a second follow-up post – if therapy is education then what kind of education is it? I’m very grateful to all commenters for such a stimulating discussion. And please keep them coming if you have more to say.

I think this has been done well in many workshops around the world. Suggestions are great description for more openness and less rigidty.
Plus you try some of the new techniques if they work you use them. People have time to ask individual concerns too. I think it could be done effectively…

And I often think each moment in life is counseling/education as well.

Evan said,”The therapy education would need to take real account of individuals’ experience, respect differences, and probably accommodate different ways of learning.” Those attributes are definately necsassry for the process of education. I think it would be of great benefit to children and adults if this was more common. Here we have a class called Lifestyles class for highschoolers and it falls under the category of health I believe. And here there is also classes on all sorts of character building that goes on in classes throughout the year in elementary schools. These cover the bully and various sorts of friendship and quality leadership qualities. And ask their students how they could respond to___________if _____________happened.
Evan said, “Perhaps it is because this kind of education is so uncommon that therapy is not done more often as education.” I think its done in alot of workshops/seminars all over the world. But it doesn’t take the place of one on one therapy. But it definately enhances it.

Evan have you have ever taken a speech class? I think it has many of the attributes that would be beneficial in therapies education class.

As I have taught art classas it also has all the individual expression elements applied. At least in many of its lessons though of course there is always some elements of common practice/memmorazation in them.
Like some classes are there is no wrong way to…. some have a real problem with that one.

I like the distinction between the usual kind of learning and schooling. (Current schooling I see as not that far from child abuse.)

I guess separating the schooling from counselling could be useful. Keeping the counselling for the more individualised learning and teaching that Caroljean talked about.

My hope is that we can the benefits of counselling to lots more people lots more quickly.

Like you I’m very impressed with the quality of comments (including yours).

Thanks

i think this is the kind of learning counselling is about. we don’t learn walking and talking in the same way as we learn things in school do we – we have a natural ability to walk and talk which we ‘grow into’ with good enough support and stimulation. but our parents don’t explain how to put one foot in front of the other.

i think there is definitely a place for a kind of psycho-social education in schools, say on abusive patterns, as susan suggests. i would keep that seperate from the activity of counselling, though. i think caroljean expressed the difference between them very well.

I’m glad you benefitted so much from Dr Carver. It certainly does show the power of learning.

Like you I think we can do lots with education (done the right way). I think groups and classes could really help the psychotherapist industry (I think this is a good term – otherwise psychotherapists tend to evade the realities of the need to make money, and the need for others to be able to afford it).

I’d need to think more about the source of most of our problems being abusive people (including ourselves). Certainly most people I have known who’ve gone to psychotherapy have been traumatised by others at some stage. I want to say you are right, it feels like it to me. I’d like to know others’ experience too. I’ll need to think about it some more.

Thanks for a very thoughtful comment.

I think it’s a wonderful idea. Since reading Dr Carvers “How to spot a Loser in relationships” I feel my eyes have been opened and life makes sense at long, long last. I now firmly believe this should be shown to all teenagers, for several reasons.

1) So hopefully they can avoid the destructive type of relationship that will not only damage their own life, but children they may have (usually teenagers caught up in destructive relationships are the ones who fall for the ‘honeymoon’ period and end up with loads of children.

2) They may be able to spot abusive traits in themselves (fingers crossed) and try and sort themselves out before it is too late.

3) They may understand abusive parents and maybe learn how to protect themselves better, or ask for help.

4) Better equiped and able to handle and understand the school bully, or later in life the work bully.

5) And of vital importance learn how to recognise the subtle may in which you can be manipulated and used.

I personnally feel that most personnel problems we have or create for ourselves are because of the effect that abusive characters have on us, or the effect we have (if we are an abusive character ourself) on others. And as these problems become a self perpetuating circle down the generations, I think education may play quite a significant role in allowing individuals themselves to understand themselves better and stop the circle.

My dream for the future anyway, having seen first hand the problems and heart break it’s creates in families.

Well done Evan I personnally think if the pychotherapist industry (sorry if that’s not the correct term) could really give this major thought, it might cut down jobs on a one to one basis, but create more group or class work to the enrichment of yours and others lives.

Thanks for voicing your experience. I’m sure that the concern for money – ‘cost effective’ – means that people aren’t first priority.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.