What Really Works (and What Doesn’t)
for Challenging Kids
Part 3 – Pseudoscience in Psychotherapy
Bruce A. Thyer, Ph.D., LCSW, BCBA-D
College of Social Work, Florida State University
Presented at the Annual Professional Workshop
sponsored by Formed Families Forward
Fairfax, VA on 28 April 2017
1
Who can do psychotherapy?
Good Question! In Florida, “psychotherapist means any
person licensed pursuant to Chapter 458, Chapter 459, part 1
of Chapter 464, Chapter 490, or Chapter 491, or any other
person who provides or purports to provide treatment,
diagnosis, assessment, evaluation, or counseling of mental
or emotional illness, symptom, or condition.” (Chapter 491)
2
Who are these people doing
psychotherapy?
Good Question! In Florida, the private practice of
psychotherapy can be legally provided by a variety of
professionals, including -
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Licensed Psychologists –
Individuals with a Ph.D. or PsyD or
Ed.D. in clinical or counseling
psychology (4-6 year graduate
degree), a 1 year internship, and are
licensed as a psychologist in Florida.
In addition to providing
psychotherapy, are trained to conduct
psychological testing.
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Licensed Clinical Social Workers
(LCSWs)
Have completed a MSW (graduate
degree) of 1 and a half to two years,,
have 2 years of post-MSW
supervised experience, and are
licensed in Florida.
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As well as by
Licensed Mental Health
Counselors
Psychiatrists/Physicians
Marriage and Family Therapists
Nurse Practitioners
6
It is illegal for someone who is not
licensed in Florida to offer services
described as:
psychotherapy
mental health counseling
marriage and family counseling
clinical social work
psychology, etc.
7
So What is the Problem?
Although most psychotherapists practice
responsibly, there are more than a few ‘bad eggs’
Frankly, there are very few limits as to the nature of
the services offered under the rubric of the term
‘psychotherapy’, so long as you don’t have sex with
clients, or exploit them in some manner, financially
or otherwise.
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Why should we care?
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Candace Elizabeth Newmaker
(1989-2000) – Killed by pseudoscience
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Candace’s “Therapists”
Connell Watkins & Julie Ponder
 Both had MSWs, sentenced 16-48 yrs in
prison
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10
One thing the major disciplines
have in common is to lay claim to
being ‘scientific’. For example:
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“Practice of psychology” means the
observations, description, evaluation,
interpretation and modification of
human behavior by the use of
scientific and applied psychological
principles, methods and procedures.
(Florida Chapter 490.003(4)
12
The “practice of clinical social
work” is defined as the use of
scientific and applied knowledge,
theories and methods for the
purposes of describing, preventing,
evaluating, and treating, individual,
family or group behavior…(Florida
Chapter 491.003(7)
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Furthermore, psychotherapists are
proscribed from
“Making misleading, deceptive,
untrue or fraudulent representations
in” (their practice) or of
“Soliciting patients…through the use
of fraud… (Florida Chapter 491).
14
What are the Warning Signs of a
Bogus Psychotherapy?
Claims that cures are surefire or complete!
 Words phrases such as ‘amazing’, ‘unique’,
‘never-dreamed-of’
 Belittlement of other approaches
 The complaint that the practitioners of this
unique therapy are being ignored, excluded
or discriminated against by the
‘mainstream’
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Warning Signs?
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Portrayal of the establishment as too set in its
ways to accept anything new, or as protecting its
interests against new ideas.
Vagueness about methods
Invoking mysterious forces heretofore unknown to
science, as responsible of change
Jargon or Neologisms
Lack of an adequate evidentiary foundation of
solid supportive research
Someone making a lot of money by providing
training in the new therapy or in providing the
new psychotherapy to the public.
Strange but impressive-looking electrical devices
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Requiring non-disclosure agreements or pledges to
secrecy about methods learned in psychotherapy
training workshops.
A reliance on anecdotal claims
A reluctance to subject the new psychotherapy to
legitimate scientific investigations
A ‘psychotherapist’ who has a degree from an
unaccredited ‘university’ – a legitimately licensed
master-level psychotherapist with a Ph.D. from a
diploma mill, who calls him/herself ‘Doctor’.
Reversed burden of proof – instead of encouraging
evidence that the psychotherapy is helpful,
demands proof that it is not!
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How About Some Examples of
Bogus Psychotherapies? OK
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Thought Field Therapy
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
Rebirthing Therapy
Past-Life Regression Therapy
Recovered Memory Therapies
Boot Camps for Adolescents
Holding Therapies for Kids
Primal Scream Therapy
18
Is That All? – By No Means!
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Therapeutic Touch
Polarity Therapy
Reiki
Traveling hypnotherapists who advertise one-stop
hotel-based group hypnotherapy for smoking
cessation/weight loss
Purely verbal, long-term, insight-oriented
psychotherapies for persons with chronic mental
illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bi-polar
disorder
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Are We Done? - Nope!
Biofeedback or neurofeedback for mental
illnesses, include attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder
 Neurolinguistic Programming
 Orgone Therapy
 Erhard Seminar Training (EST)
 Reparative Therapy for Gays/Lesbians
 Bettelheim Model for Treating Autism
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Please Tell Me We are Done! Sorry!
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Facilitated Communication
‘Scared Straight’ for juvenile delinquents
DARE (!)
The Analysis of Dreams for Mental Illnesses
Encounter Groups
Transactional Analysis
Psychodrama for Mental Illnesses
Shamanic Therapy
‘Religious’ therapies under
the guise of psychotherapy
21
But surely you are exaggerating,
Bruce.
Do people really to these things?
Hmmm…Let’s see –
N.B. – Although the following examples are of
clinical social workers, an equally compelling
compilation could have been made from the
advertisements of licensed psychologists 22
“Patricia A. Burke, MSW, LCSW, BCD is a Board
Certified Diplomate
in Clinical Social Work and a
Certified Clinical Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Other Drugs Social Worker
with over twenty two years of experience.
Author of Breathe Deeply! Healing Stories for the Soul .
. . . She uses Soul Work -- The idea that an elemental
vitality or God Consciousness existing within our beings is
a universal concept. Soul work is a path to an immediate
and direct experience of that Consciousness. The work is
an integration of a variety of psychological, spiritual, and
experiential processes that Patricia offers in sessions and
workshops.
23
Amber Lotus, Health & Harmony
Through Acupuncture
Dani Skrzypek, MSW, AP,
Acupuncture Physician
I offer Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis and
treatment including acupuncture, herbs,
homeopathy, needle-less auricular (ear) treatments,
cupping and gua sha. I also do magnet therapy and
ear candling. I treat the full range of problems &
diseases - acute and chronic, internally generated,
infectious, traumatic, physical &/or emotional.
24
“Lois Gold has 25 years of experience as
a therapist and has a background in
family systems as well as pyschodynamic
theory. She studied for many years with
Virginia Satir, and was invited to join
Virginia Satir Avanta network of trainers.
. . . Following a long-standing interest in
cross-cultural healing, she recently
completed a three year advanced
program in shamanic healing sponsored
by the Foundation for Shamanic
Studies, and is available for shamanic
work, including soul retrieval healings.”
25
Joan B Baggett, MSW
Licensed Clinical
Social Worker
Reiki Master
“My approach to emotional
healing includes insight oriented therapy,
Healing From the Body Level Up (HBLU),
Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR), Thought Field
Therapy (TFT), Reiki and Hypnotherapy.”
26
SEEMORG MATRIX WORK
Seemorg Matrix Work Basics feature . . . the Clinton-LeShan method, a powerful
tool for treating traumatic situations that prevents their future recurrence. . .
A specialty of Seemorg Matrix Work Basics is the treatment of traumatic patterns
with the Traumatic Pattern Protocol. . . . The protocol removes the exponential
emotional aftereffects of repetitive traumas quickly and easily.
These innovations and many others have resulted in the high
level of success of Seemorg Matrix Work. One of the results of
this is that Seemorg tends to increase practice size through word
of mouth alone despite the fact that a successful Seemorg Matrix
therapy takes far less time to complete than more traditional
types of psychotherapy do.
Asha Nahoma Clinton LCSW, Ph.D.
http://www.seemorgmatrix.com
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Cathy Chapman, Ph.D., LMSW-ACP,
LPC, C.Ht., CHTP/I,
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How does SEP differ from hypnotherapy?
SEP begins with Healing Touch™ as its base. Healing
Touch™ is very relaxing. As the client relaxes, the
client enters an altered state similar to that of
hypnotherapy. As Cathy does Healing Touch™ she
comes to energy blockages and facilitates the client
getting in touch with the blockages. The client then
discovers the source of the blockages and releases
them.
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What causes the blockages?
The blockages are congested energies that get stuck in the energy field. The energies
of thoughts, belief systems (i.e., I'm not good enough), feelings (i.e., fear, anxiety)
and events (trauma) were not released by the individual and are stuck in the body.
The client is empowered to release the blocked energy. Usually, the release is well
on its way when the client becomes aware of the source of the congested energy.
The client makes the decision to release it and then either breathes it out or has an
angel or spiritual figure take it away.
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Bryan M. Knight, MSW, Ph.D.
“NetHypnosisTM is an exciting way to help you in your own home at a convenient time,"
You complete a Confidential Client Information Questionnaire and return it by fax, email
or snailmail.
Upon receipt of your completed questionnaire with appropriate payment, Dr Knight will
send you a hypnotic video and a book about hypnotherapy along with a suggested
program tailored to your needs. He will hypnotize you through email or over the
phone. "It's this personal attention which enables you to change your life for the better,"
says Dr Knight.
NetHypnosisTM is priced at $129 U.S. for the initial package and $89 U.S. for each
consultation by e-mail, snailmail, or telephone. NetHypnosis will soon be available direct
through an Internet phone system.”
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Paula Susan, MSW, LCSW
Couples and Trauma Specialist/Life Coach
Private Practice since 1982
“So, I encourage you–DO NOT
SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRITY–in
your life or in your therapist. . . .
I also have 600 hours of training in
hypnosis and NLP, Thought Field
Therapy and off-shoots, such as
Emotional Field Therapy and Tapas,
use acupressure points and the
synthesis of Eastern and Western
concepts of healing. These
techniques balance energy and
electrical activity in the brain making
internal peace possible.
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“NeuView Glasses offer incredibly swift, profound and lasting
treatment effects for a variety of clinical disorders – including
trauma. They easily integrate with most therapeutic
modalities and are a client friendly, powerful treatment tool.”
Victoria Britt, MSW
TFT Trainer & Co-Author, Evolving Thought Field Therapy35
Identifying and Treating the
Psychoenergetic Effects of Energy Toxins
by Sandi Radomski, ND, LCSW
Do you, your family members, or your clients have vague, confusing,
or undiagnosed emotional or physical symptoms?
The Laser Spray Treatment entails stimulating the reflex points on the ears, hands and
feet with a laser beam to balance the body's energy system in relation to an energy
toxin. The energy toxin can be a reactive substance, negative emotion or thought or
traumatic scene. Slowly spray the laser beam over the entire ears (front and back),
hands, and/or feet while the patient is holding or thinking about the energy toxin.
The Laser Spray Treatment entails stimulating the reflex points on the ears, hands and
feet with a laser beam to balance the body's energy system in relation to an energy
toxin. The energy toxin can be a reactive substance, negative emotion or thought or
traumatic scene. Slowly spray the laser beam over the entire ears (front and back),
hands, and/or feet while the patient is holding or thinking about the energy toxin.
36
Debby Vajda, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical
social worker in full-time private practice in
Gaithersburg, Maryland. She has been a
clinician for over twenty-five years, working
with adults and adolescents who have a
broad range of difficulties including
depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety,
phobias, traumas, eating disorders,
obsessive-compulsive disorder,
allergies, pain, and medical problems.
She has been trained in many of the energy psychotherapies,
including Thought Field Therapy (TFT), the Emotional Freedom
Technique (EFT), Be Set Free Fast (BSFF), Tapas Acupressure
Technique (TAT), Allergy Antidotes, Jaffee-Mellor Technique (JMT),
Metabolic Applications of NAET, NeuroModulation Technique
(NMT), Reiki, Healing Touch, Reconnective Healing, BioGenesis,
Holographic Memory Resolution, Holographic Repatterning, and
Complex Instant - a protocol she developed which grows out of Be
Set Free Fast. She is also the developer and coordinator of the Energy
Therapy Network of the Mid-Atlantic States.
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Energy Readings
with Marie Andersen-Whitehurst, ACSW LCSW
What is a Certified Intuitive Healer?
A Certified Intuitive Healer (CIH) is trained as a holistic
Healing coach and spiritual mentor. A CIH is unique in that
she/he uses her trained intuitive perception in conjunction
with the Stillpoint Healer/Mentor Method to arrive at
insightful conclusions that help you find new, more positive
and life-affirming approaches to old struggles and pains.
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Lynn E. Merritt, MSW LCSW has professional training in the
field of psychotherapy. She received a Master's degree in
Social Work from The University of Connecticut in
1985. She is licensed by the State of Connecticut
Department of Health as a Clinical Social Worker. . . . Lynn
is co-owner of Mystical Horizons, the New Age store in Old
Mystic, CT. She is the featured Tarot reader and Astrologer
there. In addition, Lynn provides readings by telephone,
both nationally and internationally. She teaches
metaphysical and self-help courses and conducts spiritual
retreats to Sedona, Arizona. . . . With the combination of
her natural psychic gifts and professional training,
Lynn is able to provide honest readings with insight,
compassion and proven accuracy.
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Psychic Counselor
Victoria Werba, MSW
Vicki has always been intuitive, and is trained as a formal
counselor. She has combined the two to create a setting where
you can receive the help of Spirit and the help of a human
being as they release you from your past and move you on a
path of purpose.
Sessions are in the privacy of Vicki's home, where she has
set up a special healing grid with the angels. She begins each
session with a prayer. Vicki also offers brief sessions, "The
Eye-Opener vs. The Deep Digging." These sessions give you
insight you can work if you prefer to work on your own. You
may reach Vicki Werba at 480-391-1376.
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Sometimes professional associations
accredit continuing education
offerings related to training in bogus
psychotherapies.
And sometimes they are actually
taught by leading university training
programs! (Shhh!)
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NASW-MD SPONSORED CONTINUING EDUCATION
OPPORTUNITIES
Summer/ Fall 2004
928
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Date:
Friday, September 10, 2004, 930 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location:
NASW-MD Office, 5740 Executive Drive, Suite 210, The Mikulski
Center for Continuing Education
Presenter:
Dan Holler, LCSW-C, Private Practice
Synopsis:
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) uses the body’s subtle energy
system to provide rapid, lasting relief for most emotional problems seen in social
work practices. EFT is an extremely effective and simple therapeutic process for
treating traumas, phobias, anger, addictions, negative self-concepts, and
performance enhancements. Simple phobias are usually eliminated in five to 10
minutes. Participants will be prepared to use this simple procedure for both personal
and client enhancement. Course outline: Introduction, history and theoretical
foundation; EFT demonstration with a volunteer; EFT protocol presentation;
participant practice; EFT flexibility presentation; additional participant practice;
questions and course evaluation.
CE: 3 Cat. 1
Cost: $40 for members; $60 for nonmembers
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NASW-FLORIDA SPONSORED CONTINUING
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Fall 2007
Exploring Healing Paths Workshop
Location:
Sponsor:
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, Gainesville, F
Gainesville Unit of the NASW/FL School of Massage
Synopsis:
This daylong workshop will offer the opportunity to
experience a variety of different modalities, including EMDR,
Hypnotherapy, Acupuncture, Therapeutic Breath Work,
Homeopathy, Yoga, Buddhist Meditation, Herbal Treatments as
an alternative to medications, Aromatherapy and more!
CE: Up to 6 hours
Cost: $89.00
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Why are Bogus Psychotherapies a
Problem?
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Most bogus therapies are probably not directly
harmful, so what is the problem?
Wastes clients’ time and money even with good
therapist intentions
Manipulate and financially exploit vulnerable
people
Opportunity Cost: Clients might forego
empirically supported treatments (lack of
informed consent)
Slippery slope – develop habit of poor critical
thinking skills might lead to more serious
consequences
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Some Useful Resources to Protect
Yourself
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Selected Books –
Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology by
Scott Lilienfeld et al. (2003)
Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and
Alternative Medicine by R. Barker Bausell (2007)
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Organizations such as the Center for Inquiry’s Center for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims to the Paranormal
http:/www.csicop.org
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Some Useful Resources to Protect
Yourself
Magazines and journals such as
The Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptic (www.Skeptic.com
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Carefully selected articles such as
Norcross et al. (2006). Discredited psychological treatments
and tests. Professional Psychology, 37, 515-522.
Lilienfeld, S. et al. (2014). Why ineffective psychotherapies
appear to work: A taxonomy of causes of spurious
therapeutic effectiveness. Perspectives on Psychological
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Science, 9, 355-387.
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