THE WAY OF PSYCHOTHERAPIST IN XXI CENTURY

1. THE WAY OF PSYCHOTHERAPIST IN XXI CENTURY Assoc. Prof. Eugenijus Laurinaitis, MD, PhD, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania President-elect of EAP, President, Lithuanian Psychotherapeutic Society

2. Challenges 1 Contemporary world of medicine, business and services is constantly influencing and pressing psychotherapy and psychotherapists. • Medical (and psychological…) world seeks to prove being strictly scientific • So from insurance companies there is a growing demand for evidence-based practices • There is a vast amount of literature proving this approach inadequate for understanding of the nature and essence of psychotherapeutic journey

3. Challenges 2 A field of research seeks more scientific clarity and uniformity of our work, especially in the studies of efficacyof PT – an approach, which has been transposed from laboratory conditions. Inadequacy of this attempt was beautifully demonstrated by Finnish scientists in real world research - The Helsinki Psychotherapy Study – a longest study of the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy yet.

4. Challenges 3 Majority of governments and ministries are doing what they supposed to do – implementing stricter regulated practice rules and constant demand for cheaper and quicker services. In UK, e.g., the phenomenon of “living without history” (A. Cooper, T. Dartington) paves ways to loosing identity due to the impact of short-termism and the loss of collective memory on therapeutic, social and work relations.

5. Callenges 4 At the same time our patients are coming with more complex and diverse problems or disorders, caused by the imminent problems of our society and the world – ruin of the former values of the family and community, worldwide growth of emigration/immigration with resulting retreat from social participation, idealizing times and places where they were not the minority, and, at times, discharging impotent rage via acts of “terrorism”. Paradoxically, more and more of the patients are asking for a “quick fix” – a business type approach.

6. Challenges 5 The “business-like” approach to psychotherapy practice is more common in both regulatory bodies (PT as a service), and professionals (special section in our Congress!). This leads towards the “objectification” of the very special relationship, what psychotherapy used to be since the very beginnings of the field, leading us to the instrumental approach to our science, craft, and art of the profession.

7. Challenges 6 Another quite new and wide spreading phenomenon of XXI century – many patients are coming to our offices already “well-informed” about our theories, work techniques, and even our life and personalities from “an all-mighty” internet. This creates another paradox – patient sometimes is better informed about us, than we about the patient…

8. Solutions? • To “stop the train”? • To quit with “all them”? • To follow the patient? • To follow the “reality”? • Anything else?.. Who if not us?

9. Who we are • Specially trained individuals: • Understanding • Empathizing • Helping • Professional societies: • Uniting • Regulating • Supporting

10. What we can • Professionally – help • Scientifically – prove • Academically – educate • Philosophically - reflect • Politically – negotiate