Talking Therapy, Living Theory

• Published in: PsycCritiques Vol. 56; no. 21; p. No Pagination Specified
• Main Author: Knight, Tracy A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Psychological Association 25.05.2011
• Subjects: Clients; Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Comorbidity; Human; Psychotherapeutic Processes
• ISSN: 1554-0138; 1554-0138
• DOI: 10.1037/a0023591

Reviews the video, Cognitive–behavioral therapy for clients with multiple problems with Gayle Y. Iwamasa (2011). A wise and venerable psychologist once told me that he was most likely to fully respect a fellow therapist if that therapist lived the theory that he or she professed. Indeed, it is not unreasonable to expect our colleagues to respect their theoretical orientation enough to use that lens to perceive and manage their own lives. Jon Carlson asks the featured therapist, Gayle Iwamasa, that very question: “Were you able to apply these [cognitive–behavioral] ideas in your own life?” As the host and interviewer featured in innumerable psychotherapy videos released throughout the past decade, Carlson is such a natural and expected presence that it is easy for the viewer to neglect the quietly powerful interviews he conducts with featured therapists, always maintaining an effective interpersonal stance that is simultaneously erudite and innocent. In this video presentation, his questions are exceptionally straightforward and critical. The 45-minute demonstration session is with the female client who has experienced chronic depression since living through a trauma at age 16. Iwamasa maintains an effective though mostly dispassionate presence, frequently expressing her understanding through summarizing, teaching the client the language of cognitive–behavioral therapy, and offering research-based frameworks for understanding the client’s problems and possible solutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)