At this precious moment when the essence of therapy is being challenged by corporate-driven mental healthcare platforms and artificial intelligence, we began asking ourselves, 'What is the Soul of Therapy?
We were first prompted by a conversation with Ellyn Bader in the hotel lobby at the Psychotherapy Networker Conference last March and then reading her article, Is the Soul of Therapy for Sale. We knew this issue needed attention and promptly hosted a webinar with Ellyn. It was one of our most engaged webinars ever. We knew we had hit a nerve, and it deepened our resolve to champion the integrity of mental health professions.
Thus, for our 5th Annual Wise Therapy Spotlight, we asked our community, What Is the Soul of Therapy? We wanted to hear from diverse perspectives, especially those “in the trenches” of what it means to be a therapist today. What does it require of you? What is sacred in this profession, and how do we protect it? What are the core truths that inspire the evolution of this art through demanding times?
We received a tremendous response from 67 folks, and painstakingly narrowed the finalists down to 19 submissions from 25 of your peers.
The most prominent theme across these essays was overwhelmingly the power of human connection and presence. This was a central element in nearly every essay, though expressed in their own unique ways. For example:
As you read these essays, one truth emerges with striking clarity: genuine human connection is the fundamental 'soul' of therapy’ – the magic that transforms therapeutic work from a technical approach into profound healing.
Several contributors speak of the pain of the pressures of standardization and technique-driven approaches. True therapy cannot be reduced to algorithms or protocols. They remind us, as many of our presenters have reminded us, that therapeutic work always occurs within broader social and cultural contexts, requiring us to hold both the intimate connection of the therapeutic relationship and its place in our wider world simultaneously.
We encourage you to treat yourself to the time to sit with each of them; they are not presented with any particular order in mind. It is our sincere wish that this collection may further the global conversation about therapy in beneficial directions well into the new year.
Brian Spielmann & Ian McPherson
Co-directors, Academy of Therapy Wisdom
We were first prompted by a conversation with Ellyn Bader in the hotel lobby at the Psychotherapy Networker Conference last March and then reading her article, Is the Soul of Therapy for Sale. We knew this issue needed attention and promptly hosted a webinar with Ellyn. It was one of our most engaged webinars ever. We knew we had hit a nerve, and it deepened our resolve to champion the integrity of mental health professions.
Thus, for our 5th Annual Wise Therapy Spotlight, we asked our community, What Is the Soul of Therapy? We wanted to hear from diverse perspectives, especially those “in the trenches” of what it means to be a therapist today. What does it require of you? What is sacred in this profession, and how do we protect it? What are the core truths that inspire the evolution of this art through demanding times?
We received a tremendous response from 67 folks, and painstakingly narrowed the finalists down to 19 submissions from 25 of your peers.
The most prominent theme across these essays was overwhelmingly the power of human connection and presence. This was a central element in nearly every essay, though expressed in their own unique ways. For example:
- Amber Caldera writes that therapy is "not a nine-to-five or a neat set of skills you master and deploy" but rather a "wild, beautiful, messy dance with humanity"
- Annah Edmonds reminds us that “at its heart, the soul of therapy is the therapist’s desire to hold and cultivate hope”
- Adekemi O. Oguntala expresses that a decolonized view of therapy feels like the soul of therapy, and by “integrating the parts of yourself, you can see your connection to everything.
- Jane Tambree describes it as "spirit reaching for spirit. Connection. Relationship. Care. Compassion. This is not an exercise. This is a deepening."
- Erika Tsoukanelis' story about her 84-year-old client Bella illustrates how true therapeutic transformation happened when she moved beyond trying to "fix" things and instead fully connected human-to-human
- Martha Stark's clinical vignette demonstrates how healing emerged through genuine connection rather than technical intervention
As you read these essays, one truth emerges with striking clarity: genuine human connection is the fundamental 'soul' of therapy’ – the magic that transforms therapeutic work from a technical approach into profound healing.
Several contributors speak of the pain of the pressures of standardization and technique-driven approaches. True therapy cannot be reduced to algorithms or protocols. They remind us, as many of our presenters have reminded us, that therapeutic work always occurs within broader social and cultural contexts, requiring us to hold both the intimate connection of the therapeutic relationship and its place in our wider world simultaneously.
We encourage you to treat yourself to the time to sit with each of them; they are not presented with any particular order in mind. It is our sincere wish that this collection may further the global conversation about therapy in beneficial directions well into the new year.
Brian Spielmann & Ian McPherson
Co-directors, Academy of Therapy Wisdom
