Book review

George Karpetis (31 Oct 2023): Neuroscience, Psychotherapy, and Clinical Pragmatism. Reflective Practice and Therapeutic Action, Psychoanalytic Social Work, DOI: 10.1080/15228878.2023.2275069

... the “practical use” of divergent/eclectic theories on clinical practice risks endorsing a “defensive omniscient thinking” in practitioners, per which “everything goes,” whilst there is sound scarcity of studies in the clinical research literature describing the effective (or efficient) application of eclectic approaches, the exact clinical process, and the specific techniques regarding specific mental disorders (Karpetis, 2012). I believe that when the evaluation of practice effectiveness is not the basis of clinical theories, clinical practice risks becoming a theoretical exercise underpinned by sociological and political theories that result in the prioritization of the practitioner’s interests over those of the patient...

... I wonder how psychodynamic techniques can be clinically compatible with the behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic interventions, mainly because different theories necessitate different setting, processes, and techniques (Karpetis, 2021)...

References

Karpetis, G. (2012). Psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy techniques in  clinical social work practice with parents. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 82(1), 63–89. https:// doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2012.638894

Karpetis,  G. (2021). Clinical  supervision  in  child  protection  practice: A review of the literature. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(4), 689–701. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019875698

George Karpetis, Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia 

© 2023   George  Karpetis