This is lifted from another thread. I just wanted to take this one thought, all by itself, and see if ya'll are seeing what I'm seeing.
From: http://www.talkingcure.com/archive/Whatworksarchive.htm
Basically, this study found that the client's perception of increased social support outside of the treatment relationship was more important in terms of symptom reduction than growth in the strength of the therapeutic alliance! Perhaps it is time to help clients directly increase their external supports rather than focusing on changing supposed internal psychological variables, eh?
I suppose this was written to be read in the context of typical therapy environments and scenareos. But in the context of forced Synanon based 'treatment' for juveniles and the whole TOUGHLOVE hategroup culture, I think it reads quite differently.
A normal person might look at this and imagine a kind, empathic and compassionate counselor who encourages his client at every turn to develop healthy working and social relationships independent of the counselor or therapy support group. Or it may mean to some that the client in question ought to seek out a type of treatment that's acceptable to the important members of their social net, like family, church, community... whatever's important to the client. But, to a true believer in TOUGHLOVE, this same idea would mean something completely different, even opposite.
If, for example, the client perceives that coworkers, schoolmates or old friends and family are not entirely supportive of the treatment regimine, the thing to do is to sever all ties with the "bad" unsupportive people and replace them with new, supportive people.
Or check out the Partnership for a Drug Free America and Drug Free America Foundation (and all their various subsidiary and affiliate orgs). Taken together, their mission seems to be a long-term, effective and comprehensive propaganda campaign that would make Joe Goebels blush; all directed toward cultivating support among the public for their entrenched world view.
The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.
--William Osler
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Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
American drug war P.O.W.
10/80 - 10/82
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
Anonymity Anonymous
