Psychotherapy Committee

The purpose of the Psychotherapy Committee is to advance the practice of psychotherapy by psychiatrists. We believe that the mission of the psychiatrist is to treat the whole person, mind and body, and that this includes the medical differential diagnosis of psychiatric symptoms and illness in addition to recommending psychotherapeutic treatments and prescribing psychotropic medications. And while psychiatry has also increasingly benefitted from advances in neuroscience, maintaining a focus on the treatment relationship, and the healing potential therein, assures that psychiatrists, who are also recognized as their patients' psychotherapists, will provide the best and most integrated care to their patients while practicing to the top of their license. 

We are committed to:

• Supporting experiential psychotherapy education as a core element of psychiatric training.

• Supporting advances in psychotherapy models and techniques through clinical investigation and academic research.

• Advocating for access to psychotherapeutic treatments. 

In addition, we work to identify, expose, and ameliorate structural barriers to psychiatrists practicing psychotherapy. These barriers include and are not limited to:

• negative public perceptions of psychotherapy and psychiatrists,

• stigma against people with mental health conditions, 

• the lack of diversity of psychiatrists practicing psychotherapy, coupled with the frequent lack of cultural competence,

• the high cost of psychotherapy, and its poor reimbursement by private and public health plans, 

• managed care’s preference for lower cost alternatives to psychiatrists providing psychotherapy,

• the lack of adequate psychotherapy training resources at many psychiatry residency training programs,

• and the lack of enforcement of state and federal mental health parity laws.

We do not adhere to a specific theory or model of psychotherapy practice but rather consider it our mandate to be informed about the range of developments in the field of psychotherapy. We welcome new members from every realm of psychotherapy practice.