OHIO ASSOCIATION OF RESPONSIBLE MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICES

July 2001

Happy Fourth of July Every one! This month we went on the lighter side with a article called Backslash by Matt Richtel which I hope will make you laugh as much as it did me. More serious, but very interesting is Dr. Appelbaum's article about Third-Party Suits Against Therapist in Recovered-Memory Cases. Be sure and read the last paragraph. We have come a long way since the early 90's when no one would pay any attention to us when we said that Therapists were planting memories in our children. ~Carole

Intensive psychotherapy, effective though it can be, may be considered an anachronism in a high-technology era when people demand quick, ever-present and efficient solutions. Therapy can take years, cost lots of money and is not easily carried out via a mobile phone at lunch. But change is afoot. Some counselors are putting their practices on the Internet and offering consultations via e-mail. That makes it possible for patients, in written exchanges with the therapist, to conveniently confront their own demons while also indirectly helping those patients to improve their spelling and subject-verb agreement.

Judith Schwambach, Ph.D., an e-mail counselor for the last six years who goes by the name of Dr. Judith (www.drjudith.com) and charges $120 an hour, said the arrangement was convenient for therapists, too, allowing them to work from a home office at their leisure. One downside, she said, is that she and the patient do not see each other. But that is a problem only for "the more feeling- type people" who want to "pick up my caring compassionate feelings," she said. For these people, she said, she recommends consulting with her by phone. But perhaps the great leaps forward are ahead.

For advocates of efficiency, there may be better ways to use technology to mend the psyche: FREUDWARE 1.0 Therapy is expensive, mostly because of the cost of "human capital," or, as it is known in the industry, the therapist. Obviously, one way to make therapy less expensive is to outsource the therapy to low-cost overseas labor markets. But there is a better way: automation. The idea here is to create an automated software program, say, Freudware version 1.0, a complex algorithm that can analyze issues as deftly as any flesh-based therapist does. It would be built on two main principles of therapy: "They don't hate you; they are just jealous" and "Sorry, we're out of time."

An exchange might go like this: Patient: I need help with my hostility. I got into another nasty argument with my boss. Freudware 1.0: I see. And how did that make you feel? Patient: I guess I felt sad, and guilty. Freudware 1.0: I see. And how did that make you feel? Patient: I just said — sad and guilty. Freudware 1.0: And how does that make you feel? Patient: I'm going to kill you. Freudware 1.0: Sorry, were out of time.

MORE EMOTICONS People already garnish their electronic missives with :) and :( symbols. Such faces can help e-therapy patients convey a mind-set, especially if they cannot find exactly the right word to show if they are happy or sad. E-therapy may truly blossom, however, only with a broader range of so-called emoticons. Patients would send them to punctuate their prose or, words failing, in lieu of them. In turn, the emoticons would let the therapist sense the unspoken emotions otherwise conveyed through facial expressions and gestures. After seeing such a symbol, the therapist might say, "You're looking pensive" or "This subject seems to make you uncomfortable?" or "I see you've sent a semicolon, followed by two dashes and an asterisk. Does that mean you're happy, or sad?"

PORTABLE PSYCHOTHERAPY Technology has allowed people to buy ever- smaller portable phones and digital organizers. Yet psychotherapists remain inexcusably full size. That is about to change. We will be able to shrink the shrink, so to speak, with the development of the New Mini- Healer (copyright not pending, so go for it). Easy to carry, equipped with wireless Internet access and doubling as a telephone and digital organizer, this handy portable device will let users undertake intensive e-mail-based psychotherapy while on the go. E- mail exchanges could be sent during the morning commute, while grabbing lunch at the food court or while attending tense family functions. Warning: Patients having trouble concentrating should avoid using the Mini-Healer to place day trades while driving.

ASK JEEVES In a pinch, there may be no time for a full-length therapy session, portable or otherwise. No worries: Ask Jeeves. This service, at www.askjeeves.com, lets you ask basic Internet navigation questions like "How can I find a recipe for great pancakes?" But that does not mean that it cannot be used for other inquiries like, "Am I a failure?" In a recent actual test, Ask Jeeves showed mixed results as a spiritual and psychological guide. For instance, when asked, "What is it all about?" Jeeves responded with a link to a Web site selling fine jewelry. It may not make a lot of sense, but that's O.K., we're out of time.

Champion of Justice, 

Rabinowitz wins Pulitzer

Ms. Rabinowitz, who has been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist three times, was a finalist in the criticism category in 1998 and 1995 for her television critiques and in the commentary category in 1996 for her editorial page features on false sexual abuse charges. She received the 1997 Champion of Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in recognition of her journalistic achievements and commending her in particular for her writing on false sexual abuse charges.

COMMENTARY - Biography Dorothy Rabinowitz Dorothy Rabinowitz is a member of the editorial board and a television critic for The Wall Street Journal. She writes television criticism for the paper and also writes "Dorothy Rabinowitz's Media Log" for OpionJournal.com. Ms. Rabinowitz joined the Journal in June 1990 as an editorial page writer and television critic. She was named to the paper's editorial board in May 1996. Prior to joining the Journal, Ms. Rabinowitz had been an independent writer since 1968. Her work has appeared in several publications, including Commentary, Harper's Magazine and New York Magazine. She has been a syndicated columnist and a television and media commentator on WWOR-TV News. She is the author of "New Lives," a book about survivors of death camps, published in 1976 by Alfred Knopf, and "Home Life," a book about old age, published by Macmillan in 1970. Ms. Rabinowitz has been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist three times. She was a finalist in the criticism category in 1998 and 1995 for her television critiques and in the commentary category in 1996 for her editorial page features on false sexual abuse charges. She received the 1997 Champion of Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in recognition of her journalistic achievements and commending her in particular for her writing on false sexual abuse charges. In 1993, she won the Distinguished Writing Award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors in the commentary category. A native of New York, Ms. Rabinowitz earned a bachelor's degree from Queens College, City University of New York. From 1957 to 1960, she worked toward a doctorate in arts and sciences at New York University, while teaching in the English departments at N.Y.U. and Pratt Institute.

www.pulitzer.org/year/2001/commentary/