ABSTRACT
In this book, evidence has been presented that demonstrates that the medical model does not adequately explain the benefits of psychotherapy. On the contrary, the evidence is largely consistent with a contextual model of psychotherapy. Corroborating the contextual model has enormous implications for research in psychotherapy and for the delivery of mental health services. It is scientifically interesting that the medical model is not explanatory. However, policy related to psychotherapy has increasingly assumed that psychotherapy can be conceptualized as a medical treatment, changing the nature of the endeavor and possibly destroying its usefulness. In this chapter, the urgency of dislodging psychotherapy from the chains of the medical establishment is discussed.
