Talk Therapy

 

Dr. Robert Fettgather holds a PhD in psychology, master’s degrees in psychology and special education, and a bachelor of arts in psychology. Since 1980 Robert Fettgathere has served as an associate faculty member with Mission College, where his course offerings have included developmental and abnormal psychology, and general psychology. Robert Fettgather previously volunteered with the Coalition for Elder and Disability Rights, supporting the organization’s efforts to promote human rights for seniors and adults with disabilities. 

Talk therapy, otherwise known as psychotherapy, has evolved through the centuries into a more viable treatment option for mental illness. However, mental illness was not always considered a medical condition. 

In the Middle Ages, following the fall of the Roman Empire, mental illness was regarded as a supernatural problem; “to be touched by witchcraft” was how some described the condition. And people who exhibited symptoms were tortured and forced to confess. However, the Ancient Greeks recognized mental illness as a medical problem. They developed condition specific methods for treating mental disorders such as bathing for depression and blood-letting for psychosis. Paracelsus, a Swiss physician who lived during the Renaissance, found the idea of demonic possession - the explanation for mental illness in the Middle Ages - absurd. A dissonance- a lack of psychological harmony- between man and the society he lives in was a better explanation. Most importantly, Paracelsus believed in the ideas that would influence psychotherapy tenets: prescription instructions, persuasion, and exhortation. “Psycho-therapeia’ was introduced by Walter Cooper Dendy, a London surgeon, in his 1853 treatise, Psyche: A discourse on the birth and pilgrimage of thought. 

Two decades later, Daniel Tuke adopted the term “psycho-therapeutics” to describe the healing power of the imagination over the body, giving rise to the construction of mental institutions across the United States and Europe in the 19th century. Despite many of the methods employed by these institutions, including conversations between patients and staff in sober, structured environments, detached from the chaos of the cities, discharge rates were low while the number of intakes spiked. The inability to rehabilitate patients in these asylums drove further explorations of new forms of therapy. German physician Franz Mesmer was convinced that within the mind existed hidden forces. A professor of medicine, Hippolyte Bernheim, described his use of hypnosis to treat his patients as psychotherapy. Paul Dubois rejected this view of psychotherapy, adopting the term to describe his method of treatment, dubbed “rational therapy.” 

Elsewhere in Europe, the collaborative efforts of Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, and Josef Breuer, an Austrian physician and physiologist, laid the foundation for modern-day psychotherapy. The duo co-authored a book entitled “Studies on Hysteria” in 1895 and are credited with officially establishing psychoanalysis. Keeping memories or thoughts in the subconscious, Freud believed, was what caused mental illness. He also believed that listening to the patient while interpreting their words, bringing memories to the fore, improved the treatment’s success and reduced the symptoms. In their book, Studies on Hysteria, they described the Cathartic Method, which they had applied to a patient called Ana O (whose real name was Bertha Pappenheim). Subsequently, together they developed free association, the archetypical picture of psychotherapy where a patient is lying on a couch, discussing with a therapist. 

America’s psychotherapy scene became redefined by a wave of psychoanalysts who flooded the New World after the Nazi’s conquest of Germany in 1933. The trained emigres, including Heinz Hartmann and Erik Erikson, would modify many of Freud’s concepts. Columbia graduate Carl Rogers wrote the first of many books in 1939 which explored his approach to psychotherapy. Instead of a strict technique, he encouraged a free-form process. He preferred the term “client” to “patient” and created client-centered therapy. This form of therapy became first-choice among American psychologists and social workers after the war.

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Remembering A Pioneer In Brief Therapy

Residing in Grass Valley, California, Robert Fettgather, Ph.D., is a multifaceted professional encompassing roles as a counselor, educator, writer, and activist. With a doctoral degree in psychology and master's degrees in both psychology and education, Dr. Fettgather boasts a diverse skill set and extensive expertise in his field. Throughout his career, Robert Fettgather has held various esteemed positions, including serving as a Special Consultant in psychometrics to the Departments of Education and Developmental Disabilities for the State of California. He possesses specialist credentials in learning handicapped and community college credentials in both learning and developmental disabilities. Robert Fettgather has earned certifications from noteworthy institutes including the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing as a Stress Management Trainer and the Medical Hypnosis Seminars of the Los Gatos Institute in Clinical Hypnotherapy. 

Brief therapy, a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy, has gained widespread recognition for its efficacy in facilitating rapid and lasting change in clients. At the forefront of this transformative approach stands Milton Erickson, whose pioneering work has reshaped the landscape of psychotherapy. More on Erickson in a moment.

The umbrella term, brief therapy, encompasses various therapeutic modalities characterized by their goal-oriented, solution-focused nature and their emphasis on achieving tangible outcomes within a limited timeframe. Unlike traditional long-term therapies, which delve extensively into a client's past experiences and emotional conflicts, brief therapy aims to address specific issues efficiently and effectively, often in as few as six to twenty sessions. In therapy terms, that's quick!

Central to brief therapy is the belief in the client's inherent capacity for change and resilience. Brief therapists adopt a collaborative and empowering approach, actively involving clients in the therapeutic process and encouraging them to take ownership of their goals and solutions. Rather than dwelling on problems, brief therapy focuses on identifying and amplifying clients' strengths, resources, and existing coping mechanisms.

Milton Erickson, often hailed as the father of modern brief therapy, revolutionized the field with his innovative techniques and profound understanding of human psychology. Despite facing significant personal challenges, including paralysis and deafness, Erickson developed a unique therapeutic approach grounded in creativity, flexibility, and empathy.

Erickson's approach to therapy was deeply influenced by his belief in the power of the unconscious mind and the importance of individualizing interventions to suit each client's unique needs and experiences. He pioneered the use of metaphor, clinical hypnosis, storytelling, and indirect suggestion as tools for bypassing resistance, accessing unconscious resources, and catalyzing rapid change.

Erickson's pioneering work in brief therapy continues to inspire and inform contemporary therapeutic practices. His innovative techniques, rooted in empathy, creativity, and respect for clients' autonomy, have revolutionized the field of psychotherapy, offering hope and healing to countless individuals worldwide. As the field of psychology continues to explore the principles and applications of brief therapy, we ought to honor Erickson's work/legacy and strive to uphold his commitment to empowering clients and facilitating positive change.

The Early Beginnings of Talk Therapy

Talk therapy, otherwise known as psychotherapy, has evolved through the centuries into a more viable treatment option for mental illness. However, mental illness was not always considered a medical condition.

In the Middle Ages, following the fall of the Roman Empire, mental illness was regarded as a supernatural problem; “to be touched by witchcraft” was how some described the condition. And people who exhibited symptoms were tortured and forced to confess. However, the Ancient Greeks recognized mental illness as a medical problem. They developed condition specific methods for treating mental disorders such as bathing for depression and blood-letting for psychosis.

Paracelsus, a Swiss physician who lived during the Renaissance, found the idea of demonic possession - the explanation for mental illness in the Middle Ages - absurd. A dissonance- a lack of psychological harmony- between man and the society he lives in was a better explanation. Most importantly, Paracelsus believed in the ideas that would influence psychotherapy tenets: prescription instructions, persuasion, and exhortation.

“Psycho-therapeia’ was introduced by Walter Cooper Dendy, a London surgeon, in his 1853 treatise, Psyche: A discourse on the birth and pilgrimage of thought. Two decades later, Daniel Tuke adopted the term “psycho-therapeutics” to describe the healing power of the imagination over the body, giving rise to the construction of mental institutions across the United States and Europe in the 19th century. Despite many of the methods employed by these institutions, including conversations between patients and staff in sober, structured environments, detached from the chaos of the cities, discharge rates were low while the number of intakes spiked.

The inability to rehabilitate patients in these asylums drove further explorations of new forms of therapy. German physician Franz Mesmer was convinced that within the mind existed hidden forces. A professor of medicine, Hippolyte Bernheim, described his use of hypnosis to treat his patients as psychotherapy. Paul Dubois rejected this view of psychotherapy, adopting the term to describe his method of treatment, dubbed “rational therapy.”

Elsewhere in Europe, the collaborative efforts of Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, and Josef Breuer, an Austrian physician and physiologist, laid the foundation for modern-day psychotherapy. The duo co-authored a book entitled “Studies on Hysteria” in 1895 and are credited with officially establishing psychoanalysis.

Keeping memories or thoughts in the subconscious, Freud believed, was what caused mental illness. He also believed that listening to the patient while interpreting their words, bringing memories to the fore, improved the treatment’s success and reduced the symptoms.

In their book, Studies on Hysteria, they described the Cathartic Method, which they had applied to a patient called Ana O (whose real name was Bertha Pappenheim). Subsequently, together they developed free association, the archetypical picture of psychotherapy where a patient is lying on a couch, discussing with a therapist.

America’s psychotherapy scene became redefined by a wave of psychoanalysts who flooded the New World after the Nazi’s conquest of Germany in 1933. The trained emigres, including Heinz Hartmann and Erik Erikson, would modify many of Freud’s concepts.

Columbia graduate Carl Rogers wrote the first of many books in 1939 which explored his approach to psychotherapy. Instead of a strict technique, he encouraged a free-form process. He preferred the term “client” to “patient” and created client-centered therapy. This form of therapy became first-choice among American psychologists and social workers after the war.