The Psychotherapist and the Professional Complaint: The Shadow Side of Therapy

This outstanding book is an update on where the mental health profession’s complaints system is now. Its timely analysis follows in the wake of prior work on reform, which include the attempt in 2001 at the House of Lords to statutorily regulate psychotherapists in the UK. (Alderdice/Casement et al.) – Professor Ann Casement, LP, Past-Chair UKCP.

Patients should be safe and have the power to complain where things go wrong. Equally, so should the therapist. Curiously, there are no procedures in place to protect the psychotherapist from being abused by their patients. This omission is particularly glaring regarding complaints: the current complaint procedure, unintentionally, punishes even the innocent therapist.

In The Psychotherapist and the Professional Complaint, the authors explore this dilemma with sensitivity and rigour. Amongst these chapters, the contributors examine how to constructively deal with conflict, the role of professional unions in protecting their members, and the current complaint procedures in NHS services. This hopeful book provides essential support for professionals and policymakers in the field of psychotherapy.