A Rogue `Commandment'?

In the April 15 issue, Dr. Glen Gabbard includes among his 10 commandments of teaching psychotherapy to psychiatry residents: “Thou shalt not assign nonpsychiatric faculty to teach psychotherapy to psychiatry residents.” Among his other nine constructive commandments, this one sticks out like a sore commandment. It even contradicted his first commandment, “Thou shalt not teach psychotherapy as though it is isolated from the rest of psychiatry,” if the phrase “the rest of psychiatry” were replaced by “the rest of the mental health field.”

Psychiatrists and mental health professionals have much to learn from one another. Cross-fertilization is likely a necessity for new growth in the psychotherapy tree of knowledge and technique. A more constructive commandment is “Thou shalt be open to considering the merit of ideas from all who practice psychotherapy.”