Toward a participatory model of psychotherapy

A pervasive model of the psychotherapeutic relationship has assumed that patient welfare is best served by the therapist's exercise of control over and responsibility for methods, goals, and decisions in treatment. However, increased sensitivity to ethical dilemmas in the routine conduct of therapy and more vocal demands by the users of mental health services are likely to lead to a restructuring of the psychotherapeutic relationship. A mutual participatory model of therapy is advocated that would give a central place to active, skeptical efforts by the patient to be informed and to share responsibility for therapeutic decisions. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).