This space is for contributions in the form of personal testimonies, opinion pieces, practice guides and protocols
My Experience of the Hidden Politics of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
A tweet exchange popped up on my feed recently that embodied very succinctly some ideas that have polluted modern psychotherapy. Though they appear sensitive and empathetic, these ideas may be holding clients back from recovery. I describe here some of my own experiences with the hidden politics of psychotherapy that may be a microcosm of …
Psychotherapy: the Nemesis of Critical Social Justice Theory
“Where would I find enough leatherTo cover the entire surface of the earth?But with leather soles beneath my feet,It’s as if the whole world has been covered.” ― Shanti deva I am intelligent but neither clever or wily enough to counter the sophistry of CSJT (critical social justice theory) So it is with some trepidation that …
CTA Guidance for the Diversity Module
Introduction Diversity modules among therapy students’ graduate/professional training by now are no doubt imbued, at least in part, by Critical Social Justice (CSJ) theories. It is Critical Therapy Antidote’s goal to aid students in effectively navigating their diversity modules through their coursework, and do so while standing on solid ground. The fear of dissent from …
My Story of how Therapists are Ill-equipped to Deal with the Damage Inflicted by Critical Race Theory. Part 2: The Therapy
“I not only have my secrets, I am my secrets. And you are your secrets. Our secrets are human secrets, and our trusting each other enough to share them with each other has much to do with the secret of what it is to be human.” -Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets Dear Reader: If you read …
The Anti-Therapy. Part 2: The Anti-Resilience Mousetrap
Hello again, Student J here. This is the second segment of my Anti-Therapy series. In my previous article, which appeared in Therapy Matters (J, 2020), I shared some background on myself and my experience dealing with the “woke” phenomenon in my counseling education program and my concerns regarding such. In this piece I am going …
My Story of how Therapists are Ill-equipped to Deal with the Damage Inflicted by Critical Race Theory. Part 1: The Damage
“But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” -W.B. Yeats Dear Reader: Before I begin to tell my story, I have one thing I want to ask of you. Like you, I have a story that is filled with …
The Anti-Therapy. Part 1: My Experience as a Counselor in Training
Call me J. I am a first semester student of clinical mental health counseling at the graduate level, and I’m very worried about my chosen field. I would like to take this opportunity to share my experiences as a student regarding the encroachment of Critical Social Justice Theory into the counseling profession. In this piece …
Original Text of a Resignation Letter Published and then Retracted by The British Psychological Society
(Linked to blog post dated August 28th 2020 in Critical Therapy Watch) Why I no longer wish to be associated with the BPS by Dr Kirsty Miller Dear Sir, In recent years I’ve become increasingly aware of the politicisation of the BPS, a shift that I feel is inappropriate for what is ultimately a governing …
Heading for the Hills: My Departure from the Mental Health Profession
As I write this, I struggle to find words to offer that would be particularly helpful to those either choosing to enter or maintain careers in counseling related professions. I recently resigned (quit under threat of termination is more like it) from my post after several years of practice. This will be more of a …
Diversity, Oppression, and Decolonisation – Are There Too Many Social Justice Articles in The Psychologist Magazine?
An Opinion Piece by Dennis Relojo-Howell On February 22nd this year, Nicola Beaumont voiced her disappointment in The Psychologist‘s (the British Psychology Society’s journal) focus in its March 2020 issue: decolonising psychology. As expected, her views attracted a vast pile-on, which included people questioning her qualifications and whether she’s fit to work within the psychology …
How and Why I Stood up to Critical Social Justice Theory in Counselling Training
Before the diversity section of the counselling course I was on, our tutors were training us in counselling techniques, a variety of theories, and facilitating an ongoing personal development group. Confidentiality was agreed at the start, as in all counselling training. The counselling techniques involved being empathic, viewing clients with unconditional positive regard, giving our …
