OPINION:Phobia, depression, trauma and addiction are all real. Be wary of treatments that may prove to be bogus, writes PAUL O'DONOGHUE
Among the many frustrating challenges of working in the currently stressed health service is the constant avalanche of acronym-loaded emails that defy easy translation. I could probably fill this entire column with a selected listing.
The umbrella body that will be responsible for the regulation of health and social care professionals is called Coru and we are assured that this is not an acronym ( Coru.ie). The word is derived from the Irish cóir, which means fair, just and proper.
Coru’s role when fully functional will be to protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training and competence across 12 professions including psychology, social work, radiography, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy. All practitioners operating within the designated professions will be required to register with Coru, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Health.
Coru stresses that when regulation of the professions is fully operational this will mean that the public as well as the profession will be protected from unqualified practitioners. At present, anyone can call themselves a psychologist, for example, and operate with impunity, uncontrollable by the profession and leaving the public with limited protection.
Scientific base
Protection of titles is a good thing. Consider psychology and its openness to abuse and misrepresentation. Psychology is defined on the Coru site as the scientific study of thought, emotion and behaviour and the application of this knowledge in many contexts. The emphasis on science is vital and psychologists are required to justify their practice and to operate from an evidence-based approach.
A group of practitioners of “Energy Psychology” have circulated a brochure outlining their work. I think many a sensible person would conclude that a practitioner of energy psychology might reasonably be labelled an “energy psychologist”. There is no such recognised entity within the profession.
The energy psychology website ( energypsychology.ie) lists six practitioners based in Ireland, none of whom, according to the site, are trained psychologists. However, it claims that energy psychology methods are particularly effective with anxiety, depression, trauma, addictions, panic attacks and phobias, all of which are treated regularly by psychologists.
It also claims that studies have shown dramatic changes in brain scans, indicating that energy psychology techniques bring about rapid and significant changes at a neurological level.
Significant claims
These are significant claims, yet no references are provided and I haven’t been able to find any. Many of the techniques used by practitioners of energy psychology have been debunked and derided by mainstream practitioners.
As well as displaying a broad ignorance of psychology, the energy psychology brochure demonstrates a deep ignorance of physics while misusing its terminology and concepts: “Energy Psychology is an innovative method stemming from cutting-edge developments in the fields of acupuncture, medicine, kinesiology, including working with the human energy system using meridians, accupoints, chakras, and the biofield.
“Einstein’s famous equation E=mc² teaches us that physical matter is a form of energy. The idea that we can heal the body and the mind by working with energy is now being incorporated into medicine and psychology at a rapid rate.”
Under “Guidance for Consumers”, the website states: “Energy Psychology Ireland accepts no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of the information provided. The practitioners listed . . . have varying skills and specialties. No endorsement is either expressed or implied as to the competence of those listed with respect to the quality of their professional work. We strongly advise that you seek professional advice before making any health decisions.”
What a disclaimer. That last sentence indicates a degree of sense rarely expressed by alternative practitioners.
If you require the services of a psychologist, go to the website of the Psychological Society of Ireland ( psychologicalsociety.ie). It keeps a register and stands over the credentials of its members, who are bound by a clear code of ethics and liable to sanction if the code is breached.
Paul O’Donoghue is a clinical psychologist and founder member of the Irish Skeptics Society, contact@irishskeptics.org