If there was ever a time for creative emotional healing this is it. Disasters can affect people in many different ways. The physical effects – loss of loved ones, pain or physical disability, damage to or destruction of homes and property and cherished belongings – are usually obvious. For expressive therapists and expressive arts therapists it is particularly important to recognize the signs of post-traumatic stress. We hope the following information will be helpful in this regard.
COPING WITH DISASTER
Short-term emotional effects, such as fear, acute anxiety, feelings of emotional numbness, or grief, are very common. In general, initial responses to disaster include fear, difficulty relaxing, difficulty making decisions, irritability, being startled easily, guilty feelings, feeling that "no one can understand what I’ve been through," need to cling to others, confusion, difficulty believing what has happened.
For most victims of disasters, these responses fade with time, but there may be longer-term emotional effects that do not fade. The emotional effects of a disaster may show up immediately or may appear months later. They may be obviously related to the disaster or their origin may go unrecognized. Later responses to disaster include grief, depression, despair, hopelessness, crying for "no apparent reason"; anxiety, nervousness, being frightened easily, worrying; feeling helpless and vulnerable; suspiciousness, constant fear of harm; sleep disturbances: insomnia, bad dreams, nightmares; irritability, moodiness, anger; headaches, digestive problems, diffuse muscular pains, sweats and chills, tremors, loss of sexual desire; flashbacks: feelings of "re-living" the experience, often accompanied by anxiety; avoidance of thoughts about the disaster; avoidance of places, pictures, sounds reminding the victim of the disaster; avoidance of discussion about it; increased marital conflict or other interpersonal conflict; excessive alcohol or drug use; difficulty concentrating, remembering; slow thinking; difficulty making decisions and planning; feelings of being detached from your body or from your experiences, as if they are not happening to you; feelings of ineffectiveness, shame, despair, guilt; self-destructive and impulsive behavior; suicidal ideation or attempts.
A disaster is frightening for everyone. For a child, it can be especially frightening. Children have not yet learned a wide range of techniques for controlling fear. Even more than adults, a disaster threatens a child’s sense of control over his or her life. Children experience the effects of disaster triply. Even young children are directly affected by experiences of death, destruction, terror, personal physical assault, and by experiencing the absence or powerlessness of their parents. Children are also powerfully affected by the reactions of their parents and other trusted adults (such as teachers) to the disaster. They look to adults for clues as to how to act. If their parents and teachers react with fear the child’s fear is magnified. If they see their elders overcome with a sense of loss, they feel their own losses more strongly. Children’s fears may also stem from their imagination. Children have less ability than adults to judge which fears are realistic and which are not. Regardless of the source, a child’s responses to a disaster should be taken seriously. A child who feels afraid, regardless of the reason, is afraid.
Most children respond sensibly and appropriately to disaster, especially if they experience the protection, support, and stability of their parents and other trusted adults. However, like adults, they may respond to disaster with a wide range of symptoms. Some responses of children to disasters include clinging fears about separation; fear of strangers; fears of monsters or animals; difficulty sleeping or refusing to go to bed; compulsive repetitive play which represents part of the disaster experience; return to earlier behaviors such as bedwetting or thumb sucking; crying and screaming; withdrawal; not wanting to be with other children, sights or objects associated with the disaster; aggressiveness; defiance, acting out; resentfulness; suspiciousness, irritability; headaches, stomach aches, vague aches and pains; problems at school (or refusal to go to school) and inability to concentrate; feelings of shame.
(Adapted from information released by the Suffolk County New York Department of Health Services, Division of Community Mental Health Services.)
WRITING AS THERAPY
There is growing interest in the use of writing as therapy. Students at the National Institute of Expressive Therapy can currently sign up for a single course. The Institute helped promote this approach initially when it advised students considering enrolling in the doctoral program being offered at the time that the dissertation requirement "can be used to effectively organize a life’s work. Alternatively or in addition it can be used to finally produce a product that is long overdue."
A recent article in Psychology Today ("Right Here, Write Now," Susan H. Perry, PhD, November/December 2001, Volume 34, Number 6) provided useful information. The author noted that "Researchers once believed that the main benefits of writing were purely psychological. But there is new evidence of the health value of forming coherent stories out of the chaotic elements of your personal history," and "Researchers led by Joshua M. Smyth, Ph.D. . . .[reported] that writing about stressful life experiences had a beneficial effect on symptoms."
She offered solid advice, such as "Take risks," "Visualize your ideal reader," "Organize your thoughts" and "Change something about what you’re doing," then suggested "a few more techniques to get words into type," such as "Play a particular album whenever you’re working on a specific project," "Take a break in the middle of writing dialogue. Your subconscious will continue the conversation for you," "Write first thing in the morning, before your internal critic wakes up and begins carping," "Write totally out of order, beginning with any scene or description that comes to you," "Print out what you wrote last time, and edit it in pencil," " Take a long walk before writing," "Pull a book off the shelf and read a little to inspire you."
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Because of the terrorist attack the Conference has been re-scheduled for April 26-28, 2002. Previously we felt saddened by the need but compelled to add the following 2 "pop-ups" to the website, in rapid succession.
"Our hearts go out to those who suffered losses due to the events of September 11. One of our conference organizers wrote via email that with what’s going on, all our work pales in relation to the death watch her family is observing. A family member who is a fire lieutenant is still missing. Her son is traumatized; stepped out of the subway, heard the crash, witnessed all of it. He, along with all others on the street, ran to escape the fall-out. If you are struggling to get through the grieving process, as many of us are, we are honored to be able to offer assistance. Also at this tragic time, when sanity and healing in general are so badly needed, let us all - psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, arts therapists, expressive therapists - unite and work together to defeat this terrible scourge. You are cordially invited to join us this coming Columbus Day weekend, in the central rotunda downstairs at Hillwood Commons, on the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University."
"Due to the tragic events of September 11 and their aftermath, the Sixteenth Annual Expressive Therapy Conference is being re-scheduled for the spring of 2002. Registration fees will be credited toward the spring conference. Details will follow. Please remember to cancel any travel and hotel reservations you may have already made. If you need help getting through the grieving process, please contact Dr. June M. Conboy at JuneConboyPhD@aol.com. If you would like to join a chat group dealing with the terrorist threat, please contact Delia (Dee) Saunders at Mixedme372@aol.com. GOD BLESS AMERICA."
Refunds will be provided at the conclusion of the Conference to anyone previously signed on for the Conference whose schedule does not permit them to attend on the new dates, provided requests have been received at least one month prior to the Conference. We hope to see everyone back in the spring, plus a whole new group of presenters and attendees.
You are cordially invited to submit a proposal for a presentation to be given at the Conference. Proposals should include:
Please note that all proposals must be accompanied by the appropriate Conference Registration Fee.
(Note: Giving a presentation is a great way to promote your work and yourself. The website is visited by literally tens of thousands of people each year. Proposals submitted early have the best chance of being accepted, and those presentations receive the most publicity.)
http://www.expressivetherapy.com/conference/conf2001.html
OPEN FORUM
As noted, "Both expressive therapy and expressive arts therapy continue developments emanating out of modern and contemporary art. One of the hallmarks of a true democracy is that it does not attempt to regulate or control the enormous and valuable contributions made to society by the arts. Not only that, but it also tends to value these contributions beyond what might otherwise be expected. However, because of the potential harm that can be caused by self-styled practitioners who do not hold Certification, because of superficial resemblances to other forms of therapy, and perhaps most especially because the word 'therapy' is involved, some measure of peer review has become an absolute necessity. Certification provided to expressive therapists and expressive arts therapists by the Association has enabled hundreds if not thousands to thrive, even in locations where other approaches to therapy are strictly licensed. It sets the standard for professional accomplishment, and because it has the authority to do so, is the only legitimate indication of genuine competence to practice within the field."
LICENSING
We received the following email just as we were about to go to press. It is especially interesting in light of the fact that, as reported in previous newsletters, many Certified members are able to bill successfully as independent private practitioners, based on their Certification and the unique services they are able to offer.
"I am very interested in pursuing a master’s in Art Therapy, however, my research is showing me that social workers and counselors have more luck being recognized by payer sources and managed care while (I’ve been told) art therapists have had to bill under an ‘extender’ role (which in my state is being or has been eliminated) or work strictly in inpatient settings. I live in Ohio.
My question is this: Where might I find a National source who would be able to tell me if there are certain states where art therapists are recognized by managed care and Medicare/caid payer sources as independent therapists and can be recognized and paid as private practitioners?"
There has been no action on the pending legislation in New York State. Because of those circumstances, there appears to be at least the possibility of a breakthrough concerning the inclusion of expressive therapists and expressive arts therapists.
CERTIFICATION
Professional certification is now a hot topic. According to a report by Carnegie Mellon University published in 2001, reasons for seeking certification include the following:
Advancement in Profession 41.7%
Advancement in Current Job 17.2%
Prepare for New Job 9.4%
Secure Employment 8.1%
Job Requirement 8.0%
Improve Job Security 4.8%
Assess Current Expertise 3.1%
Increase Compensation 2.4% Attain Access to Vendor Support 1.8%
Other 3.6%
The primary achievements resulting from certification are as follows:
More Credibility Within Organization 24.2%
More Credibility with Customers 23.6%
Greater Self-Esteem 22.4%
Solve Problems Quicker 19.0%
Increase in Salary 10.8%
Perhaps the primary example of certification that equals or surpasses the value of licensing is CPA (Certified Public Accountant). The Association is moving rapidly in that direction. One of the most encouraging signs we have received is the suggestion of some type of formal reciprocity.
TECHNOLOGY MARCHES ON
Our last email announcement, which concerned the original dates for the Sixteenth Annual Conference, was sent to over 30,000 email addresses. The Association now has the ability to locate an unlimited number of email addresses for organizations and individuals likely to have more than a passing interest in expressive therapy, and to email them without running into technical or other problems. (We can also guarantee that all requests to remove addresses from our lists by those who do not wish to receive additional mailings will be treated promptly and courteously.)
The current issue of the newsletter is being emailed to a select mailing list that includes members, students and others who have written for additional information. This issue of the newsletter may be modified and sent to a much larger group of recipients at a later time. Whatever form it takes, the next issue of the newsletter sent to our entire mailing list will include space for advertising. To submit your announcement please email us at admin@expressivetherapy.com to discuss the arrangements. Since this is a new feature, initial rates are $40 for members and $95 for non-members. Rates for all future issues will be $75 for members, and $135 for non-members.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EXPRESSIVE THERAPY
The National Institute of Expressive Therapy began as the New York Art Therapy Institute, and later became the Institute for Psychotherapy and the Arts. It was a degree granting institution when its adopted home state of Hawaii did not require accreditation by one of the regional accrediting agencies approved by the United States Secretary of Education, in order to prove legitimacy. The rather prestigious law firm it used then and continues to use now, also represented the University of Hawaii. There was frequent mention of some type of cooperative arrangement. University of Hawaii faculty aligned themselves with the Institute, and vice versa.
Results were truly amazing. For example, as her final project, Sydney B. Metrick wrote the manuscript of Crossing the Bridge: Creating Ceremonies for Grieving and Healing from Life's Losses, ultimately published by Celestial Arts in 1994 (paperback). After receiving her degree, June M. Conboy wrote: "3 days after I received the PhD, I was offered a position as Associate Professor at Long Island University Graduate School, and have been teaching Cross-Cultural Counseling for the summer school 1st session." Bohuslava Reiss decided to use her degree to teach at Charles University in Prague, in the Czech Republic.
However, when the mood in the Hawaii state government began to change in the late nineteen-nineties, and would have required that "all unaccredited degree granting institutions provide in all catalogues, promotional materials and written contracts for instruction, a statement that the institution is not accredited by a recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the United States Secretary of Education," the Institute opted to remove itself from the process.
At that time, accreditation by an agency approved by the Secretary of Education seemed out of reach, mainly because of the tremendous additional financial outlay that would have been involved. The Institute's benefactors were reluctant to underwrite a project that by itself would have run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Instead, the Institute returned to its original orientation, which was an institute for the training of psychotherapists. Most readers know that today the Institute also exerts a strong presence in cyberspace. For example, at the present time, the National Institute of Expressive Therapy Video Library Collection is the only one of its kind in the entire world. Some of the tapes are quite rare. A few may be the only copies in existence. Referring to the tapes, Carolyn H. Morse, CSW, LCSW wrote: "The tapes are on the way back to you along with a request for more. I thought the two that I watched were quite good." And Delia (Dee) Saunders, BFA, MA wrote: "Have finished my papers for these 2 videos. They were great. I found myself relating a lot of my work and ideas to the videos. I think you'll see what I mean when you get my papers."
AT THE PRESENT TIME, THE INSTITUTE IS AGAIN SEEKING FORMAL ACCREDITATION AND/OR AFFILIATION WITH OTHER FULLY ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS. (Especially in light of its growing reputation. For example, Michael B. DeMaria, PhD, Author, Horns and Halos: Towards the Blessing of Darkness, The Reshaping of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 2, wrote: "Blessings on your journey. . . .It continues to be a vital source of the new vision in psychology today.") Although there is no guarantee that it will succeed, accreditation is generally retroactive for a period of at least 5 years.
In keeping with this development, we thought it might be interesting to revisit a considerably earlier newsletter. It began with a quote that:
"'The meaning of life is to live life as if it were a work of art.
Abraham J. Heschel'"
It then went on to cover other topics:
"The National Institute of Expressive Therapy provides exemplary non-traditional, external, professional education exclusively in the field of expressive therapy. As these programs continue to ripen, they will undoubtedly become prototypes for other new programs in the field. "The regular programs we offer through the Institute can be especially helpful for people in parts of the country where there are no other programs in expressive therapy. But there are additional reasons to favor them as well. These programs are real. The resources that students can select from are practically unlimited. Students choose whom they wish to work with. The programs also save students a good deal of money. Finally, these programs support different kinds of learning. For example, we believe that the equivalent of a didactic analysis can be an important component of higher education.
"In the case of the special PhD program currently being offered, the program can be used to effectively organize a life's work. Alternatively or in addition it can be used to finally produce a product that is long overdue. Taken together, all of these factors contribute to the enormous human dignity of programs offered through the National Institute of Expressive Therapy.
"'Expressive therapy represents what I have aspired to do for over twenty years, but was unable to name. I am exhilarated to be a part of a wave of people breaking ground in a very exciting new and emerging profession. I look to the day when I will be able to assist in a more active way in helping others become what I myself hope to perfect. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm, energy, and effort. Sincerely, Guy Frederic TiIlson, Mdiv, Certified Expressive Therapist'"
In a section of the newsletter devoted to the "Philosophy of Science" (included because of the need to establish a solid base for some of the research being undertaken), the editors noted that:"People reacted strongly to the use in the recent letter from The National Expressive Therapy Association of the word 'scientific.' We think these concerns should be easy to alleviate. Perhaps the best way we can do so is to illustrate how much art and science actually have in common. In The Common Sense of Science Jacob Bronowsky writes as follows:
"'The layman's key to science is its unity with the arts. . . .It has been one of the most destructive modern prejudices that art and science are different and somehow incompatible interests. . . .As a convenience, and only as a convenience, the scientific function is different from the artistic.
'But the laws themselves are not the final unifying agents. . . .The great unifying thoughts are knots where the laws cross one another and are held together. . . .This is the constant urge of science as well as of the arts, to broaden the likeness for which we grope under the facts. . . .We seek to find nature one, a coherent unity. This gives to scientists their sense of mission, and let us acknowledge it, of aesthetic fulfillment.'
"Art and science also come together in the processes of doing science. As the book jacket for Gaston Bachelard's The New Scientific Spirit tells us:
"'With the discoveries of relativity and quantum mechanics, and Heisenberg's formulation of the uncertainty principle, not only were the laws of Newtonian mechanics found to be invalid, but the existing perception of the "scientific method" also began to lose its cachet of absoluteness. . . .In Bachelard's view, the unpredictable behavior of subatomic particles belies the seemingly neat, ordered, and mechanistic universe that the practical and empirical scientists of the nineteenth century thought they saw.
'The new science about which Bachelard writes revealed to its discoverers a strange and unpredictable series of phenomena - particles that were sometimes waves, particles that jumped with no apparent antecedent cause, light that did not necessarily travel in a straight line. Even the millennia-old and heretofore unchallenged realm of Euclidian geometry found itself under assault by the formulation of alternate, non-Euclidian systems. For Bachelard, these discoveries reveal a great deal about the nature of causality, matter, time, space, and - significantly - about the mental process of scientific discovery.
'Perhaps the key element in this fascinating volume is Bachelard's focus upon the role of the human mind in the arena of scientific investigation. He presents the thesis that the mind does not follow immutable "laws" any more than nature - as revealed in the new science - seems to. He shows that scientific breakthroughs tend to happen as a consequence of a priori, intuitive insights that are subsequently tested through experimentation, rather than through a plodding series of revelations emerging from the laboratory. The New Scientific Spirit is thus an affirmation of the human imagination and intuition. IN A UNIVERSE THAT SEEMS TO BE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX, IT IS THE HUMAN SPIRIT THAT ENABLES US TO SOLVE ITS MYSTERIES..'
Turning to the topic of "Accreditation," the newsletter stated:"The following quotations all come from Bear's Guide to Earning Non-Traditional College Degrees, 10th Edition (which is what was available in our local library):
'Many very good schools (or departments within schools) are not accredited, either by their own choice (since accreditation is a totally voluntary and often very expensive procedure), or because they are too new (all schools were unaccredited at one time in their lives), or too experimental (many would say too innovative) for the generally conservative accreditors.
'A few years ago, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education conducted research on the relationship between accreditation and non-traditional approaches. Their report...confirmed that a serious disadvantage of accreditation is in the suppression of innovation....
'As we look toward the future, it appears likely that accrediting organizations will lose their usefulness and slowly disappear. Colleges will not be judged by what some educational bureaucracy declares but by what they can do for their students....
'Faced with high-powered criticism of this sort, some accrediting agencies sponsored...a large-scale study of how the agencies should deal with non-traditional education.
'The four-volume report of the findings of this investigation said, in summary, very much what the Carnegie report had to say. The accreditors were advised, in effect, not to look at the easy quantitative factors (percentage of Doctorate-holders on the faculty, books in the library, student-faculty ratio, acres of campus, etc.), but rather to evaluate the far more elusive qualitative factors, of which student satisfaction and student performance are the most crucial.
'There are those jobs (psychology and nursing are two examples) in which professional accreditation [i.e., by their professional Association] is more important than regional accreditation.'"
The newsletter ended with a quote that:
"'The structure is now visible; what was inchoate is here stated...This is our triumph; this is our consolation.
Virginia Woolf, The Waves'"
. . .
New members or others who are upgrading their status, some of whose applications are still being reviewed, include the following:
William Joseph (Chip) Balling, Jr., MFA, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Tali F. Ben-Joseph, MA, Certified Expressive Therapist
Michael Scott Brooks, RC
Lisa Burnell, MEd, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Valerie A. Chester
Anna Maria Cockman
Kath Gerrald, MS
Lora Mary Hein, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Cyril Ives, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Charlene M. Kenny
Delorse Lovelady, MA, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Diane Therese Nichols, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Deborah L. Patrick
Tonya Pepper
Pamela Jean Richardson, MFA, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Devon Vose Rickabaugh, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Kimberly Schuster, EdM
Suzanne Sharpe, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
Linda Shipman
Milica Zgaljic-Ramirez, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
. . .
Beth Weiner's new book is coming out in March. The ISBN is: 3-451-27553-8 and it can already be ordered at bookstores or at www.amazon.de The title in German is: Wo Leben ist, ist Hoffnung, which translates as "Where There Is Life, There Is Hope." The author shares her experiences about her Nazi childhood, the immigration and the healing process she went through, her leaving New York, her new-found home of 36 years, and taking off by herself in a camper after selling or giving away all of her belongings. She also includes her working in Germany in order to heal others, her divorce, her fight with cancer and now dealing with getting older. According to a translation of what the publisher says on the flyer of the book: "Beth Weiner shows some of the strength, energy and ability to love, which is necessary to carry the burdens of the past. This book will give people the courage to find their own way." The author herself writes. "So far there is no date as yet when it can be obtained in English, but I do hope that it will be soon."
STAFF NEWS
Steve Ross will resign most of what are essentially his unofficial duties in The National Expressive Therapy Association, in order to become Chairman of the independent Board of Examiners in Expressive Therapy. The Board of Examiners will establish fieldwork requirements for new applicants, among its first priorities. It will also announce the address of its new webpage as soon as it is complete.
The position of Executive Coordinator of the Board of Examiners was recently vacated by Michelle Belto-Schraub. Due to the difficulties of making contact with others who had originally volunteered to serve on the Board, she was unable to forge a group effort and genuine working relationship.
The National Expressive Therapy Association is pleased to be able to advise members that day-to-day management of the Association remains in extremely capable hands. Notwithstanding, members with Internet capability who wish to take an active leadership role in the Association, are urged to join the Council of Members, and participate in its possible restructuring. Please state your willingness to participate on the Council in an active capacity, in a letter to the Association. Also indicate what areas interest you, that are not already covered by past or present activity, and whether you would prefer to serve as Committee Chair or simply as a member of that committee. Elections will be held as soon as there has been sufficient opportunity for newly interested members to join.
Dr. Ross will remain Dean of the National Institute of Expressive Therapy. Readers who wish to take advantage of the opportunity to study with him can contact the Institute.
BOARD CERTIFICATION
We offer our heartiest congratulations to the following Full Members of the Association who are now Board Certified:
Carolee Frances Bongiorno
Kathleen M. Cahill, MS
Esther Daiell
Eva S. Forndran, PhD Tracey L. Toth (Eva S. Forndran wrote that: "The Board Certification is very tasteful in its presentation." This inspired us to redesign the regular Certification document. It now looks a great deal more like the legal document that it is. These new documents will be available to NETA members as they renew their membership for the coming year.) OUTSIDE FEEDBACK A while back, Stephen E. Straus, MD, Director, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, wrote to the Association as follows: "I am writing to notify you and your colleagues of the opportunity to comment on the draft Strategic Plan we in the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health are developing. I hope you will distribute this message to your members and other interested parties and that they, in turn, will take advantage of the opportunity to contribute comments. Your input is very important to us in helping to shape the final report. I look forward to receiving your comments." James S. Gordon, MD, Chair Executive, wrote more recently: "We are pleased to announce that the work of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) has begun. The Commission has been charged to submit a report to the President and Congress by March 2002, providing policy recommendations to help guide the nation’s use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and interventions. Your participation in this important process is critical." Finally, Stephen C. Groft, Pharm D, Executive Director, wrote: "Please accept my apologies for not contacting you earlier following the establishment of the Commission. I hope this note will begin to establish the dialogue necessary to achieve the goals set forth in Executive Order 13147 signed by President Clinton on March 7. Thank you for your consideration and continued assistance." Web address www.whccamp.hhs.gov. JOBS We don’t know if there have been any takers, but we are struck by the number of jobs being advertised on either the Message Board or in the News section of the Association website. One such recent job description read: "Hello from New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ. We are searching for a Therapeutic Advisor for a program run by the Arts Education Dept., called ArtsCare. "ArtsCare is a pilot program that places artists and creative arts therapists in facilities that address special needs students. ArtsCare uses the arts as both a therapeutic and rehabilitation tool to enhance the quality of life, learning and development of students. "The Therapeutic Advisor should have an extensive background in arts therapy. The advisor will collaborate with the evaluator, coordinator, teaching artists and classroom teachers on the logistical components of ArtsCare. ArtsCare classes will begin in November and will end in February. The advisor would commit the time needed to attend meetings with NJPAC staff." A USEFUL PERSPECTIVE The following material comes from 2 articles we were referred to by Wanda Foster Everett, Certified Expressive Therapist "Our right to practice, the ability to be educated in a humanistic tradition, opportunity to develop a world view that sees human beings as sacred and psychotherapy both as a path to further human emancipation and as care of the soul - all will have to be vigorously defended against the dehumanizing effects of psychological industrialization in the years to come. . . .As long ago as the 1950’s the founders of the so-called Third and Fourth Forces declared their independence from medicalized psychology. These thinkers and practitioners proposed that psychotherapy rightly belonged to an altogether different discourse, one which leaned more toward the humanities than to medicine, more toward the arts than to positivist science. . .Professionals will probably make less than they have been making riding the insurance gravy train. It is unlikely that any but the very successful would be able to earn the six-figure salaries many were able to earn in the 1980’s. But neither will these salaries be earned in the medical system. Most predict that within MCO’s the average therapist’s salary will drop to between $35 and $55 per hour. My research suggests that many non-licensed practitioners already make these kinds of incomes and, preferring time over money, many of them report that their lives are full and rich. That is definitely not what those who work for MCO’s report! . . .The public’s desire for services that can aid them in their journeys toward higher orders of consciousness can be met by professionals who themselves have committed to the discipline of advanced study, training, and ethical development and who are willing to be held accountable by other members of their community." 
Participants in a workshop presented at an Association conference.
Photograph courtesy of Clea Weiss. We think the contents are important and relevant. Both articles were written by Maureen O’Hara, PhD, past-President of the Association for Humanistic Psychology. 
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Any copying, distribution or preparation of derivative works is strictly prohibited.