SIR,—On behalf of the Association for Pro- fessional Psychotherapists may
I express grati- tude to the Spectator for publishing the two brilliant articles by Brian Inglis on 'The Com- ing Crisis in Medicine.' His description of this crisis, which has, of course, really arrived, and his prescription for dealing with it are splen- didly unequivocal. But to train more psycho- therapists requires more organisations capable of doing so and with proper endowment behind them. The present position of psycho- therapy within the Health Service is not even precarious, it is non-existent. Electric-shock therapy and insulin are at first cheaper to administer, therefore they are administered and therefore thought to be more reliable by doctors and the general public alike. Only when this economic and psychological error is per- sonally experienced is it brought home to people how misspent is the money allocated to mental health. I do hope these two articles will begin official inquiry into the present pro- vision for training in psychotherapy. May I add that even if there is wastage in this train- ing, as there may well be, a partially trained psychotherapist is no menace! Rather he or she may very well be an extremely valuable person both within his or her family and ultimate profession.—Yours faithfully,
PENELOPE BALOGH
4// Upper Richmond Road, SW15
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