It is very disturbing! I'm very passionate about this issue as well. I'm not surprised by the study, and didn't even bother reading it, because I've known about this attitude in the psychotherapy industry for a long time. So, I'm not surprised that an article like that was written.

And I think you are right that many therapists use the "change your thinking" concept as an excuse to not make more of an effort to probe deeper into a client's suffering. Either that, or they just don't know any better, which is an even scarier thought.

I have nothing against social workers, and know that they provide an important role in certain environments and situations. However, in my opinion, too many of them are now taking on the role of psychologist, even though they clearly do not have enough education about the human psyche to diagnose or treat anyone for severe emotional or mental distress. They have a tendency to be very enthusiastic about "positive thinking" techniques and CBT, which maybe helps for certain issues, but certainly is not a one size fits all solution for everything. I'm thinking that this must be a problem in the education system where they are receive their training. This applies to psychologists too.

I went to several therapists in the past, and the only help they would offer me is CBT type approaches. I've probably spent the last 3 years searching for a psychologist who will apply any kind of depth therapy on me, such as psychoanalysis. I cannot find one though. They either are not covered under insurance or I just cannot find one who is available. Short-term CBT is almost always covered by insurance, but that is not true for therapies such as psychoanalysis or other alternatives that spend extensive amounts of time trying to uncover the actual source behind a client's distress (rather than preaching positive thinking to fix emotional damage or physical dysfunctions of the brain). Very frustrating!

I believe that the psychology field has taken a big step backwards. I believe that I could receive better therapy if I was living in 1950! Back then, you went to either a psychologist or psychiatrist for extensive psychological work, and not to a social worker, counselor or coach.