The Therapy Industry: The Irresistible Rise of the Talking Cure, and Why It Doesn't Work - Hardcover

Moloney, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 074532987X ISBN 13: 9780745329871

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2013

Synopsis

Across the world anxiety, stress and depression are on the increase, a trend which looks set to continue as austerity measures bite. The official response tells people that unhappiness is just a personal problem, rather than a social one.

Written by a practising psychologist, with nearly thirty years' experience in the fields of mental health and learning disabilities, The Therapy Industry offers a concise, accessible and critical overview of the world of psychological practice in Britain and the USA. Paul Moloney argues that much therapy is geared towards compliance and acceptance of the status quo, rather than attempting to facilitate social change.

The Therapy Industry fundamentally challenges our conceptions of happiness and wellbeing. Moloney argues that therapeutic and applied psychology have little basis in science, that their benefits are highly exaggerated and they prosper because they serve the interests of power.

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Moloney is a Counselling Psychologist with experience in community and social work, an associate lecturer with the Open University and the University of Birmingham, and a founder member of the Midlands Psychology Group, which is dedicated to questioning the assumptions of official psychology.

Review:

'a fascinating critical tour of the role of therapy in modern Britain.' -- Charlotte Potter-Powell, Peace News This book combines intellectual acuity, a well-developed political sensitivity and a comprehensive grasp of the literature with an experienced clinician's tacit knowledge, wisdom and insight. Reading it may change how you think about psychology, about therapy, and perhaps even about yourself. -- Dr John Cromby, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Loughborough University To date The Therapy Industry is the most comprehensive, accessible and best-documented critique available of the whole theory and practice of psychological therapy. Indispensable. -- David Smail, author of 'Taking Care: An Alternative to Therapy' Paul Moloney has written a brilliant and erudite book that might help us see through the mystifying fog of ideas in our present culture that leads us to seek individual therapy and self-help as cures for our ills, rather than people focusing on changing the main causes of distress in the C21st and getting together to create a society that is less damaging to us all. -- Dr Guy Holmes, Clinical Psychologist

About this edition

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 074532987X
• ISBN 13: 9780745329871
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240