Is long-term psychotherapy unethical?

by Carol Shaw Austad

In this provocative and very persuasive book, professor and clinical psychologist Carol Shaw Austad demonstrates that numerous studies have indicated long-term therapy to be no more effective in its outcomes than short-term therapy. Austad argues that in an age when limited resources are attempting to provide universal care for millions of individuals and families who need and deserve treatment, a more accountable system of intermittent, short-term therapy is clearly more ethical and fair. The book is filled with solid research, illustrative clinical examples, and interviews that demonstrate the effectiveness of good managed care. In addition, the author outlines a new model of behavioral health care in which the criteria and priorities for psychological services are driven by societal needs and resources. Is Long-Term Psychotherapy Unethical? makes a persuasive case for the cost-saving, practical, and goal-oriented use of short-term therapy and challenges the profession to provide beh