Lebanese newspaper calls for family therapist

So, a Lebanese newspaper calls for a family counselor to settle the current crisis. I hereby offer my services free of charge.

In all seriousness, though, it's an interesting point the newspaper is making--but perhaps not the one it's intending to make. Family counseling and mediation are all very well and good, but they don't work miracles, and, especially in cases of violence and power disparities between the parties, therapy and mediation can be downright dangerous. The idea--very deeply-held among many liberals of good will--that mediation can solve anything and that the old "can't we just work it out?" routine is relevant in all circumstances is responsible for a lot of harm in this world, well-intentioned though it may be.

I lay a good part of the responsibility for the belief in the universal applicability of these methods at the feet (or the mouths?) of therapists. I'm a believer in therapy. But it is not a panacea, and is most definitely not applicable to all situations--not by a long shot. The recent over-therapization (is that a word?) of our society is responsible for a good deal of harm. Once of these days I'll write a longer piece on that subject.