Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded: A review of the literature and the implications.

Abstract

The authors examine psychotherapy as an effective means of providing treatment to the mentally retarded from several theoretical standpoints. The literature on this topic dates back at least 30 years, and in some cases arguably 60 years, and consequently it is not a new area of inquiry. Although, historically, research has been lacking in this area, recent contributions have been promising, and this newer work is explored amid appraising the implications of this modality for today's practitioner who works with the mentally retarded.Have you ever considered or attempted to conduct psychotherapy with mentally retarded clients? If your next referral was a client with mental retardation, would you consider psychotherapy as an intervention? We address these questions and others in this article. We provide the reader with the findings of recent and existing literature about conducting psychotherapy with mentally retarded individuals and the multifaceted nature of just contemplating this issue.Addressing the mental health needs of the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled has historically been a difficult task and one many psychologists avoid. Albeit, psychological evaluations are performed regularly. However, in most cases these evaluations MICHAEL R. Biirz received his PhD in psychology in 1992 from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He was the program manager for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Health and Human Services Counseling and Family Services Program in Fort Hall, ID. He was formerly the director of Child and Adolescent Services at Cornerstone Behavioral Health/Mountain Regional Services, Inc., a provider of psychotherapeutic services for the mentally retarded-developmentally disabled individuals suffering from mental illness, located in Evanston, WY. He is now supervising clinical psychologist with Washington County Psychotherapy Associates in Machias, ME. He has written on nonlinear dynamics integration into psychology over the past several years. JOHN B. BOWLING received his PhD in counseling psychology in 1995 from Texas A&M University. He was a staff psychologist at Cornerstone Behavioral Health/Mountain Regional Services, Inc. He is now the clinical director of Advanced Behavioral Care, Inc. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah and maintains an independent practice in Salt Lake City, UT.

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