What guidelines exist for mental health therapy and treatment?
I have heard that mental health treatment is highly unregulated. Cruel practices such as reparative therapy and electric shock treatment are practiced on patients without evidence to back up their safety and effectiveness. What guidelines exist for mental health treatment? What is allowed, and what is not?
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Actually it is highly regulated among licensed professionals. The problem is that anyone can call themselves a "therapist" without education or licensure. Just like anyone can call themselves a "life coach, job coach," etc.
LMFT’s (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists) and LP’s (Licensed Psychologists) have ethical guidelines they must follow or risk losing their license. I don’t know where the LMFT’s get theres, but you can go to APA.org to see the code of ethics for psychologists.
I agree these insurance are really cruel. Virtually they can shock you anytime.
You are right there are no such guidelines. Even they can shoch you for no reason.
Actually they are regulated. Here are the following:
BBS (board of behavioral sciences) is the regulatory entity for social workers, marriage and family therapists, and counseling psychologists. BofP (board of psychology) regulates for licensed psychologists. There is also the code of ethics provided by the organizations such as:
NASW (national association of social workers)
CAAMFT (ca association of marriage and family therapists)
AAMFT (american assn of MFT)
Each therapist should be practicing within their scope of practice (legal responsibilities) and scope of competence (within the therapists frame of knowledge, or that therapists should not practice what they do not know).
check with both the boards as well as the umbrella associations that guide therapists.