IC01 Keynote 04 - The Therapist as Humanist, Social Activist and Systemic Thinker - Cloe Madanes, PhD
From Freud to Erickson to the current practice of psychotherapy, the nature of human problems
has remained the same. What has changed is which problems we consider are within the realm of
psychotherap-y to elucidate. When Erickson introduced the concept of directive therapy, the field
changed, not only in terms of how to do therapy, but also in terms of what are the issues a
therapist must address. Is there a place for the concept of evil, for the practice of justice, and for
the spiritual realm in therapy? What do we know today that we didn't know a hundred years ago?
How can we preserve the existence of the therapist as humanist, social activist and systemic
thinker?