Family Therapy - Concerns and Criticism

Concerns and Criticism

The late Frank Pittman, MD, had practiced marriage and family therapy in Atlanta, GA for 33 years when he wrote:

"One of the horrors of psychotherapy is the affirmation clients may feel from their seemingly neutral therapists that they are 'okay' even when they are doing terrible things to themselves and their loved ones. Some therapists listen without comment to tales of violence, substance abuse, infidelity, even incest. Their silence is tacit approval. Some therapists do worse than silently accept whatever the customer says or does; some actively affirm that the customer is always right. Therapists, as they ingratiate themselves to their customers, may actually provide 'interpretations' to relieve clients of the guilt they need in order to keep them from hurting others and bringing disaster upon themselves ... therapists who do psychotherapy effectively do so because they understand value conflicts and they convey, without having to preach about it, values that work."

— Frank Pittman

In a 1999 address to the Coalition of Marriage, Family and Couple's Education conference in Washington, D.C., University of Minnesota Professor William Doherty said:

"I take no joy in being a whistle blower, but it’s time. I am a committed marriage and family therapist, having practiced this form of therapy since 1977. I train marriage and family therapists. I believe that marriage therapy can be very helpful in the hands of therapists who are committed to the profession and the practice. But there are a lot of problems out there with the practice of therapy - a lot of problems."

Doherty suggested questions prospective clients should ask a therapist before beginning treatment:

1. "Can you describe your background and training in marital therapy?"
2. "What is your attitude toward salvaging a troubled marriage versus helping couples break up?"
3. "What is your approach when one partner is seriously considering ending the marriage and the other wants to save it?"
4. "What percentage of your practice is marital therapy?"
5. "Of the couples you treat, what percentage would you say work out enough of their problems to stay married with a reasonable amount of satisfaction with the relationship." "What percentage break up while they are seeing you?" "What percentage do not improve?" "What do you think makes the differences in these results?"