The “Psychotherapy. Vademecum” is a response to many questions about the effects of psychotherapy, the profession of psychotherapist, the training process and the principles of psychotherapist certification in Poland. The Vademcum also contains information about the standards developed and adopted by the Polish Psychotherapy Council.
Results of scientific research confirm that psychotherapy is effective, and that differences in effectiveness of various psychotherapeutic approaches are small or nonexistent. Making use of psychotherapy in health protection and preventive care enables a significant reduction of economic and social costs in the case of mental health problems, e.g. reduction of medical appointments, rehabilitation and pension benefits, and costs incurred by involved parties.
Comprehensive post-graduate training in psychotherapy has a highly specialised character. Taking into account the individual characteristics and preferences of persons seeking help enhances the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic work. It is important that patients have access to various forms of psychotherapy offered by psychotherapists representing all the main groups of theoretical approaches: psychoanalytic-psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic-experiential, systemic, and integrative.
This publication is a compendium of current knowledge for all concerned, and in particular, those making decisions about using psychotherapy in the health care system and other areas.
Authors:
Renata Mizerska, Hanna Pinkowska-Zielińska, Agnieszka Jankiewicz, Dorota Modrzyńska, Michał Kostrzewski, Sylwia Wojtysiak.
