Psychotherapy and Politics International (E-Journal)
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Politics of appearance: Bodily transference and its implications for the counselling relationship
Get PDFThis article explores how bodily appearance impacts the psychodynamic transference and countertransference in the counselling relationship. It calls attention to the perplexing silence that pervades the field of psychology with respect to the importance of appearance in counselling. To elucidate these transferences/silences, the author delves into an intimate account of clinical work with a client called “Mrs. C”, highlighting the power of appearance as well as its apparent silence within the field. Tying this with dominant philosophies, this article shows how appearance is political as discourses dictate how a body “should look,” which impacts the way that client and counsellor relate to one another based upon past experiences. The author posits that appearance is a pivotal part of the transference and countertransference for counsellor and client and addresses the potential that congruent discussion of bodies in relationship can start to break the silence that can dictate such relationships
A politics of naming and sharing: One therapist's personal journey of traumatic grief, grooming, and sexual abuse in the workplace
Get PDFThis paper provides insight into the experiences of a psychotherapist exploring societal issues within the workplace related to grooming and sexual abuse. It explores the process of adult grooming via theory and lived experience, also giving insight into the aftermath of disclosing and exposing the abuse, which incorporates the culture of victim blaming and grooming myths. Its aim is to raise awareness of adult grooming and abuse and to highlight how anybody can be vulnerable and susceptible to grooming, even those within the profession of psychotherapy. It concludes with the acknowledgment that recovery is possible
The psychopolitics of (and psychotherapy required by) neoliberalism
Get PDFThis paper focuses on the currently hegemonic economic system in the world known as “neoliberal capitalism” or “neoliberalism.” It attempts to gauge the neoliberal psychopolitics accompanying the unfolding and reinforcement of neoliberalism—as well as the psychological impact this has on individuals worldwide. The work of several authors, including Naomi Klein, Bernard Stiegler, Paul Verhaeghe, Michel Foucault, Shoshana Zuboff, Byung-Chul Han, Laurent de Sutter, Martin Heidegger, Gilles Deleuze and Fėlix Guattari is enlisted firstly to demonstrate the endemic inequality (and its health consequences) brought about by neoliberalism, and secondly to clarify what is meant by “neoliberal psychopolitics.” Whereas the former has been shown as accompanying the capitalist strategy of “shock,” the latter is characterised by Byung-Chul Han as the quintessential psychic strategy employed by neoliberal capitalism to enhance “positive control” of neoliberal subjects in a quest to optimise productivity and profit. This is a strategy at odds with that of disciplinary societies (as typified by Foucault), which produce “docile bodies.” To be able to gauge the kind of psychotherapy commensurate with neoliberal psychopolitics, Han's analysis of the “entrepreneurial” self, enlisted by neoliberalism to maximise profit and productivity, is scrutinised—which leads to his turn towards “idiocy” and the need to inaugurate a new language or “idiom” as a way to resist neoliberalism. This is amplified by a discussion of Heidegger's notion of “everydayness” (of which neoliberalism is currently an embodiment) as a covering-up of human beings' potential for discovering their (liberating) “singularity” by facing their own death resolutely. To conclude the paper, Deleuze and Guattari's concept of “schizoanalysis” is briefly examined, showing how the threads of the argument culminate in what it entails: namely, the freeing of subjects' desires through the dismantling of constraining forms of identification, such as that demanded by neoliberalism
Against the exclusion of psychoanalysis for the diversity of research and care methods: A call for thought
Get PDFAgainst the exclusion of psychoanalysis for the diversity of research and care methods: A call for though
Intergenerational iatrogenesis: A story of diagnosis, medication, therapy and familial harm
Get PDFIntergenerational iatrogenesis: A story of diagnosis, medication, therapy and familial har
D. A. Lee and E Palmer. #MeToo: Counsellors and psychotherapists speak about sexual violence and abuse; Monmouth, UK: PCCS Books, (2020), 238 pp. ISBN: 9781910919538
No full textD. A. Lee and E Palmer. #MeToo: Counsellors and psychotherapists speak about sexual violence and abuse; Monmouth, UK: PCCS Books, (2020), 238 pp. ISBN: 978191091953
Rethinking intimacy in psychosocial sciences
Get PDFThis article critically engages with the conceptualization of intimacy pertaining to the works of Anthony Giddens and Lynn Jamieson. Informed by insights from psychoanalysis, philosophy, and neuroscience, it challenges the two authors' assumed unproblematic ability to consciously access and communicate intimate knowledge. The article further explores the ontological differences between lived intimacy and symbolic intimacy, privileging the concept of lived intimacy as an experience that evades focused attention and refuses to conform to our will and rational thought. In addition, it disputes the assumption that individual autonomy is a necessary condition for achieving intimate bonds, highlighting instead the relevance of openness and vulnerability. Lastly, the article engages with the concept of boundary work, making the case that boundaries could be an effect of intimacy rather than a cause of intimacy. Reassessing boundaries as delimitations between ontological planes suggests that intimacy is enabled by keeping at bay the reign of the Imaginary and Symbolic registers, namely finding a place where the subject can shield herself from the pervasive gaze of the Other
Consciously uncoupling from counselling practice
Get PDFThis Notes from the Front Line article outlines the reasons for one counsellor's decision to leave counselling practice indefinitely. Four reasons are given for this decision: counselling is not an apolitical act, economic inequality, systemic superficial support for diversity, and burnout. It is contended that too often the counselling profession neglects the socio-political context, and that both therapists and clients can suffer from this oversight. To overcome this, a call for unity in the profession is made to advocate for systemic changes to improve inclusivity and equality for therapists and clients alike
