Derek Truscott

Since obtaining registration as a psychologist in 1987 and earning my doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Windsor in 1989, I have practiced in psychiatric hospitals, community clinics, group homes, rehabilitation centers, and in private practice. I have also been a professor of counselling psychology at the University of Alberta since 1997. When I began my training in psychotherapy, I thought that good therapy involved dispensing wisdom. Given that I was rather young, I assumed that I had time to fill waiting to become older and thus wiser. So I decided to learn everything I could about ethics in order to stay out of trouble and in the profession while I gained the experience I needed. An ardent believer in "writing to learn," I authored two books on ethics with my dear friend Ken Crook: Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada (2004), and Ethics and Law for Teachers (2007). I also continued to study, teach, practice, and write about psychotherapy, culminating in Becoming an Effective Psychotherapist: Adopting a Theory That's Right For You and Your Client (2009). To my great relief--having discovered first hand that wisdom does not inevitably accrue with age--I learned that effective therapy is not about giving advice. I also learned that being ethical is not about receiving advice. I have come to appreciate that they share a common wisdom and congruent aims. Now I see my interests in ethics and psychotherapy as synergistic; that an effective therapist is also an ethical one and vice-versa. I can't imagine a better career than psychotherapy; it is always interesting, often satisfying, and ultimately deeply rewarding. I take pride in aspiring to be a good therapist and in striving to inspire others to do likewise.