Critical Therapy: Power and Liberation in Psychotherapy

Not all revolutions begin in the street. Sometimes, they start in the psychotherapy office, on the couch.

Psychotherapy needs a revolution. Historically, its goal has been to accommodate individuals to oppressive social systems. In this revealing and timely book, practicing psychotherapist, Silvia Dutchevici, provides a long-overdue social-justice model for therapy aiming toward liberation and personal agency. In Critical Therapy: Power and Liberation in Psychotherapy, patients and therapists are invited to look closely at ways power works in relationships. Drawing on liberation psychology scholarship and a decade of practice, Dutchevici examines how the therapeutic relationship itself is shaped by issues-such as money, race, class, and gender-often considered taboo.

In offering more than comfort and insight, critical therapy supports patients as they awaken their own transformative power; create collaborative relationships, workspaces, and environments; and come to see themselves as agents of change in a still unfinished democracy.

Written in simple and concise language, Critical Therapy is a must-read for anyone who has had, is thinking of having, or is practicing psychotherapy.