Going Beneath the Surface: What People Want from Therapy

ABSTRACT

Therapies of depth, insight, and relationship have been missing from, if not pushed out of, the public conversation on mental health treatment. After decades of attack from multiple fronts, these therapies are misunderstood, undervalued, and overlooked by the general public. In order to address this challenge and change this trajectory, we must start by listening to the public and understand their needs, values, and preferences about therapy. We conducted an extensive research project, leveraging qualitative and quantitative tools and techniques widely used in the corporate world, focused on “listening” to the public and understanding what people want and need from therapy. It’s indisputable that therapies of depth, insight, and relationship are highly effective. What we know now is not only that these therapies work, but that they resonate with a large segment of the public. We learned that many people intuitively know that there is more beneath the surface, believe that therapy is a process that takes time, and are willing to make that investment. Our research also provides a blueprint for communicating the value of depth therapies to the public, grounded in what we heard from the people themselves, based on four key messages. Considerations for ongoing engagement with the public and future research are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Psychotherapy
• evidence-based
• market research
• public engagement
• communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

¹ Psychologist Jonathan Shedler, Ph.D., has written extensively on the issue of therapy effectiveness, incorporating many of the sources cited in this paragraph. His contributions articulate the existing research base supporting the efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy, and question the “evidence-based” claims made about short-term, manualized therapies. His influential contributions have played a pivotal role in the narrative about the efficacy of therapies of depth, insight, and relationship. Many of his papers and articles are available on his website: www.jonathanshedler.com.

² Gender and race/ethnicity were direct questions. Respondents reported their exact age, which was grouped in predefined ranges by the survey program. Household income (before taxes) was asked by presenting income ranges. Respondents provided their state of residence, grouped into regions following a predefined algorithm.

³ Top-2 Box is the percentage of people who selected “Strongly agree” or “Agree” with a specific attitudinal statement. Bottom-2 Box is the percentage of people who selected “Strongly disagree” or “Disagree.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Santiago Delboy

Santiago Delboy, LCSW, MBA, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, is currently Faculty at the Institute for Clinical Social Work and Clinical Associate Faculty at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, and serves on the board of The Kedzie Center in Chicago. Prior to becoming a clinician, Santiago spent over a decade in the corporate world, working in marketing research and consumer insights, both in Peru, his home country, and in the US. In his last role, as a Consumer Insights Expert at a global management consulting firm, he focused on market segmentation, branding, and developing marketing and business strategies to drive growth. Santiago earned a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago.

Linda Michaels

Linda Michaels, Psy.D., MBA, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Chicago. She is Co-Chair of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), a Consulting Editor of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, and a fellow of the Lauder Institute Global MBA program. She has published and presented on the value of psychotherapy, the therapeutic relationship and technology, and scientism. She has a former career in marketing, innovation and branding, with over 15 years’ experience consulting to organizations in the US and Latin America. In addition to her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Linda is a graduate of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute’s Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy program. She also has an MBA from Wharton, and a BA from Harvard.