This book shows how clinical psychology has been deliberately used to
label, control and oppress political dissidence under oppressive regimes
and presents an epistemological and theoretical framework to help
psychologists deal with the political dilemmas that surround clinical
practice. Based on his own experience working as a clinical and
community psychologist in Venezuela for almost twenty five years, the
author recounts the controversial history of how the Bolivarian
Revolution has used psychology to persecute and oppress political
dissidents, recovers the experience of doing psychotherapy under
oppressive regimes in other countries and stresses the importance of
developing an ethically and politically aware clinical practice.
The first part of the book presents the dilemmas psychotherapists have
faced in different parts of the world, such as the former Soviet Union,
USA, China, Spain, Hungary, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela
when dealing with the intrusion of the political domain in clinical
research and practice and the difficulties clinicians have had in
dealing with these issues. The second part of the book presents an
epistemological and theoretical framework from which these issues may be
tackled effectively.
The book helps raise awareness of the risks of framing psychotherapy as
apolitical as well as the benefits of thinking of our lives as
contextualized in our political settings. It draws from several
theoretical options that have been useful to challenge traditional
clinical theory and include the political in our clinical
comprehensions. In particular Latin American Community Psychology, that
has developed tools to favor awareness of political issues, has been
used to expand the psychotherapeutic conversation.
Politically Reflective Psychotherapy: Towards a Contextualized
Approach will help clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and other
social and mental health workers reflect on the challenges psychotherapy
faces in a politically polarized society, showing how the political
dimension can be incorporated into clinical practice.
