Hidden Secrets of Psychotherapy: What Is "Clinical Wisdom"? |
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Clinical wisdom is a collective, evolving knowledge base from over a century of psychotherapy.
Clinical wisdom blends psychological, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives on the human condition.
Psychotherapy’s limitations must be accepted to avoid frustration or disappointment in therapy.
This is Part 2 of a series.
In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept of what I call "clinical wisdom" in the practice of psychotherapy. What is it, where does it come from, and how can we make constructive use of it in clinical practice?
What Is "Clinical Wisdom"?
I define clinical wisdom as an eclectic, collective compendium of archetypal and pragmatic psychological, philosophical, existential, and spiritual knowledge derived and distilled from more than a century of psychotherapeutic practice or research, as well as from other more venerable religious, spiritual, or healing traditions.
Psychotherapy has evolved dramatically since its beginnings, first described by Freud as "psychoanalysis" (see Breuer and Freud, 1895), and was further developed by Adler, Rank, Jung, Frankl, Rogers, May, Perls, Ellis, Beck, Linehan, and many others. Indeed, much has been discovered over the past hundred years about the enigmatic and mysterious human mind, psyche, or soul: what truly motivates, drives, influences, sustains, and inspires us, what causes us to become depressed, anxious, sad, or angry, and what helps to keep us sane, happy, healthy, stable, balanced, and whole.
Contemporary psychotherapists (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, and other........