What Therapy Isn’t

This is worth reading if you're a therapist.

Week after week of reflecting and validating isn't therapy. We might get away with it because some clients expect it, and because most will improve anyway through common factors.

I’m not sure the solution is more multicultural coursework and introspection. The populations most underserved by therapy are also the ones who most need competent, efficient, structured treatment, not a more culturally sensitive version of reflective listening.

Treatments like Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy all have strong evidence bases and have been validated across diverse populations. That's where training resources should go.