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Patients are seldom aware that they have a right to question
therapeutic procedures. When they do voice doubts, they are
often considered defiant. Nobody truly encourages patients to
cast doubt on academic knowledge and psychological practice. The
therapist’s expectation of the patient’s absolute trust is
contrary to the level of self-responsibility and self-efficacy
that the patient is to reach during the course of treatment.
This uneven relationship provides an unnecessary protection for
the therapist. Many reports as well as experience have
demonstrated that the formulation of ethical guidelines alone is
inadequate concerning the right to a healthy mutual skepticism
in the patient-therapist relationship. This deficiency may
impact the quality of therapeutic services.
Quality assurance is of special importance in the treatment
of young adults and children, as verbal capacity and critical
expression may be in early stages of development.
Given these circumstances, traditional psychotherapeutic
principles may only be of limited use. In fact, challenging the
professional requirements of ethics, diligence and of
supervision in psychotherapy strengthens the field ensuring
continued progress. Misgivings alone are not enough, however.
Psychotherapeutic circles must collaborate to start a new
discourse about open questions regarding quality assurance.
Insofar, the Ethics Pilot Project conducted by the Swiss Charta
for Psychotherapy signals a good start.
Spielzeit and Quality Assurance
In its 22rd year of operation, Spielzeit Child Psychotherapy
is a community-oriented charitable organization located in
Zurich composed of a team of therapists that provide
individualized play- and psychotherapy to children in crisis. In
collaboration with parents, agencies and external caregivers
such as teachers and doctors, we support children in redefining
their place in life and society.
Our therapeutic principles ground on the notion that people with
problems, mental/physical challenges and serious illnesses are
individuals as unique and complete as their “healthy”
counterparts and not – in contrast hereto – deficient of
“normal” attributes. People with unique challenges are entitled
to unconditional acceptance and social encounters that are free
from performance pressure and purpose-driven expectations. The
basis to our approach to understanding rests on the analytical
psychology of C. G. Jung and M.-L. von Franz.
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