Letter: Therapists in mind

Sir: I was surprised that the Independent published such a badly informed and unthoughtful article as Angela Lambert's on therapy (21 February).

The picture she paints is monstrous. I wonder what evidence she has that all 'therapists' impose the objective of 'emotional correctness' and aim for the 'empty triumph of being right all the time'. Her unfocused broadside does not differentiate between untrained therapists and those with years of rigorous postgraduate training.

She speaks of her own experience of company and intimacy, and of a relationship and a home shared. Some people, however, seek help for the very reason that they are not able to know that 'other people know and love them'.

Ms Lambert seems to have had a bad experience of relationship therapy. The article could have been a useful warning against the unqualified, and thus perhaps damaging, therapist. Sadly, it was not.

Yours faithfully,

VICTORIA BOTWOOD

British Association of Psychotherapists

London, NW2