Research Paper on:
Practice Requirement of Psychotherapy for Psychotherapists

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
never experienced and it is equally difficult for writers to write about something they have no first hand knowledge of. For example, if one has never tasted ice cream it  would be hard to describe. At the same time, it does not always follow that one has to have an experience in order to teach the subject. In a sex  education class for example, there may be practices that the teacher does not engage in--she might even be a virgin--but is able to teach the basics of human sexuality. Although  many might contend that one really has to experience sexual intercourse to fully understand the topic, again, it does not prohibit an educator from spewing the facts. In fact, in  many instances, experiencing something merely provides an emotional buffer and is not always necessary in order to teach the subject matter. In a similar manner, a debate ensues in terms  of psychotherapists. Should mental health professionals be required to undergo treatment themselves as part their training and as a condition for the right to practice psychotherapy? It does seem logical  to require that someone who is about to guide another through a therapeutic model have experienced it themselves, but is it really necessary and does it really make the patients  experience more authentic? One therapists says: "I just dont understand how people can be practicing psychotherapy, and not have ever been in therapy themselves (Lehmann, 2002, p.PG). She  explains that while not a Freudian psychologist, she does concur with the theorist on the idea that therapists should undergo therapy themselves as part of their training (2002). She suggest  that it is difficult to lead someone through a process one has not themselves been through (2002). She believes that therapists need to have an awareness of their own