Psyche was a beautiful princess of classical Greek mythology loved by Cupid. Not capitalized, psyche refers to soul, self or mind. Therapy derives from the Greek for remedial treatment of bodily disorder. Psychotherapy is defined as treatment of mental or emotional disorder or of related bodily ills by psychological means. Psychology refers to the study of mind and behavior.

Mind is derived from Old English and Old German for memory, Latin for awareness, and Greek for spirit. Spirit refers to an animating principle, and is derived from Latin for breath.

Psychotherapy is currently seen as a commercial/medical profession and therefore in need of regulation and licensing to protect consumer/patients. Commerce is derived from Latin for having to do with merchandise. Profession is derived from Latin for declaration of faith or allegiance. Medical is from the Latin for healing and related to mediation. Patient is derived from Latin for need and Greek for suffering.

So, what is Psychotherapy?

It is a strange and perhaps perverse mixture. I am not confident that Socrates would approve. I am not sure that I approve.

As things are today, the “medical model” dominates the field because practitioners have come to depend upon medical insurance to pay for their services.

Should it be the “commercial model” of fee for service that dominates? Such is the case with coaching. Or, should it be a practice of faith in which there is no quid pro quo reimbursement expected? I think that Socrates would approve of the latter and regard the former as Sophistry, yet he might also understand my need for support.

Here I pick at the Gordian Knot that ultimately you and I must slice through.

If you want medical insurance to pay for our work together, you must have a constellation of symptoms diagnosable under DSM IV, and our relationship must conform to the ethics, laws and procedures that govern this approach. More paper work will be required to address the concerns of various bureaucracies, and there will be a more circumscribed relationship between you and me than can develop under coaching or mentoring. Our sessions for the most part will need to be face-to-face, which likely only will be possible if you live in Central Wisconsin.

Certainly, for some matters psychotherapy under the medical model is the appropriate approach. It is particularly well suited to the psychic injuries that result from trauma. I have worked many years with people from age 5 to 75 helping to heal the wounds of early childhood abuse, of rape, of war, of accident, of personal loss and natural disaster. I employ an eclectic mix of therapeutic modalities including EMDR, Gestalt, Cognitive, Adlerian, Rogerian, Jungian, and Family Systems. At the core is Existentialism.

Contact me at larry@socraticsolutions.org if you are interested in pursuing this approach. If I am unable to provide therapy for you, perhaps I can coach you for a while in how to find a good therapist, and how to get the most from the experience.