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EP95 Dialogue 10 - The Future of Therapy - Donald Meichenbaum, PhD; Salvador Minuchin, MD


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Topic Areas:
Dialogues |  History of Psychotherapy |  Psychotherapy |  Family Therapy |  Therapist Development
Categories:
Evolution of Psychotherapy |  Evolution of Psychotherapy 1995 |  Pioneers in Couples and Family Therapy
Faculty:
Donald Meichenbaum, PhD |  Salvador Minuchin, MD
Duration:
58 Minutes
Format:
Audio Only
Original Program Date:
Dec 16, 1995
License:
Never Expires.



Description

Description:

Educational Objectives:

  1. Given a topic, to become aware of the differing approaches to psychotherapy, and to identify the strengths and weaknesses in each approach. 

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*

Outline:

Introduction and Opening Remarks

  • Donald Meichenbaum and Salvador Minuchin are announced as featured speakers

  • Meichenbaum raises concerns about managed care, accountability, and the rise of manualized treatments in psychotherapy

Future of Psychotherapy and Training

  • Meichenbaum critiques the limitations of manualized approaches and emphasizes skill development

  • Envisions future training involving computerized manuals, interactive video discs, and remote learning

  • Proposes widespread dissemination of therapeutic tools to non-professionals, including families

  • Predicts integration of interactive television for addressing clinical problems

Demonstration of Interactive Films

  • Meichenbaum demonstrates training films showing scenarios (e.g., angry parent and principal)

  • Films present coping strategies, prompting analysis and discussion with clients

  • Multimedia framed as a supplement to traditional therapy, not a replacement

  • Invites therapists to imagine multimedia's potential in their own work

Salvador Minuchin's Perspective on Psychotherapy

  • Minuchin emphasizes the relational core of therapy and the therapist as a teacher of new language

  • Critiques long-term therapy and urges therapist accountability

  • Expresses pessimism about the future: fears oversimplification and loss of humanity in therapy

  • Advocates for social therapy and systemic interventions beyond the individual

Discussion on the Role of Elders in Psychotherapy

  • Meichenbaum seeks advice on becoming an “elder” in the field

  • Minuchin recommends choosing manageable, meaningful interventions to avoid burnout

  • Advises maintaining both pragmatism and vision in elderhood

  • Exchange concludes with appreciation and opens to audience Q&A

Audience Questions and Responses

  • Concern raised about prevention's absence in conference topics

  • Meichenbaum supports prevention and multimedia systems as scalable interventions

  • Question about systemic work in settings like corrections; Minuchin and Meichenbaum advise data collection and working with key influencers

  • Discussion reinforces need to think politically and practically in complex systems

Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

  • Anecdote shared about Carl Rogers and Virginia Satir’s legacy

  • Caution urged regarding premature publication or commercialization of codified treatments

  • Both speakers stress maintaining the human element in therapy despite pressures for standardization

  • Diversity in training discussed; advice given to stay informed and critical

  • Final question on morale in long-term therapy; Meichenbaum invites follow-up discussion

Credits



Faculty

Donald Meichenbaum, PhD's Profile

Donald Meichenbaum, PhD Related Seminars and Products


Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D in Clinical Psychology is currently Research Director of Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention, Miami (melissainstitute.org). He is one of the founders of cognitive behavior therapy. He was voted one of the most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century. Latest books include "Roadmap to Resilience" (www.roadmaptoresilience.com) and "Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Personal and Professional Journey."


Salvador Minuchin, MD's Profile

Salvador Minuchin, MD Related Seminars and Products


Salvador Minuchin, MD, developed Structural Family Therapy, which addresses problems within a family by charting the relationships between family members, or between subsets of family. He was Director of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Although it was minimally staffed when he began, under his tutelage the Clinic grew to become one of the most modeled and respected child guidance facilities in the world.  In 1981, Minuchin began his own family therapy center in New York. After his retirement in 1996, the center was renamed the Minuchin Center. Dr. Minuchin is the author of many notable books, including many classics. His latest is Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation. In 2007, a survey of 2,600 practitioners named Minuchin as one of the ten most influential therapists of the past quarter-century.


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