Psychotherapists Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton reveal when we most need a mental health MOT in our lives
There has been national news coverage for respected psychotherapists and co-authors Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton.
Johnston and Wotton, co-founders of The London Centre for Applied Psychology (LCAP), are the authors of A Straight Talking Introduction to Therapy: What It Is, Why It Works, How To Get It, out now through PCCS Books.
They have featured in the national media, including Metro and the Daily Star, after warning Brits about the dangers of “quack” alternative therapies like ‘brainspotting’ and ‘cuddle curing’ over fears they could be causing more psychological harm than good.
According to Johnston and Wotton, the UK is said to have become a “Wild West of charlatans, confidence tricksters and outright cowboys” whose outlandish and unproven treatments are putting those with serious mental health problems at risk.
These include ‘cuddle curing’ where patients are treated for depression and PTSD with long hugs, and ‘brainspotting’, which claims to tackle trauma by finding so-called ‘brainspots’ in the eye.
According to the experts, a growing number of alternative therapy practitioners are offering their wares without a single day of professional training or after watching “a few YouTube videos”.
Of these, a considerable number are believed to have launched their businesses during the Covid-19 lockdown when they were able to cash in on the public’s growing anxiety.
Johnston, a former Government home affairs advisor, and Wotton, who formerly advised government ministers on mental health issues in the criminal justice system, fear the rise in unproven therapies could be exasperating, rather than treating, mental health struggles.
Any beneficial effect clients experience is likely to be a short-lived placebo, requiring patients to spend more time and money on tried-and-tested treatments in the future.
They are now urging people to use only regulated, trained practitioners and NHS-recommended therapies.
They have written A Straight Talking Introduction to Therapy: What It Is, Why It Works, How To Get It with the aim of helping people seeking a private therapist find a beneficial course of treatment.
For all media requests, including interviews with co-authors Graham Johnston and Matt Wotton, or review copies of A Straight Talking Guide to Getting Good Therapy & Counselling, contact publicist Anthony Harvison.
Psychotherapists Graham Johnston (left) and Matt Wotton (right), co-founders of The London Centre for Applied Psychology, have featured in the national media after warning Brits about the dangers of “quack” alternative therapies over fears they could be causing more psychological harm than good.
