Going Beneath the Surface: What People Want From Therapy

What do people actually want from therapy, and what do they get wrong about it? Dr. Linda Michaels shares findings from nationwide research with the general public.

In this recorded seminar from Let’s Talk Psychoanalysis, Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA, Chair and Co-Founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), presents what the public told PsiAN about therapy: what they’re looking for, what stops them from seeking care, and what they know and don’t know about their options. She begins with the landscape those answers sit in: a therapist shortage, the rise of mental health apps and AI chatbots, and a marketplace message that therapy should be brief, symptom-focused and interchangeable.

Part one covers the state of mental health care. Part two covers the research itself and what it means for how clinicians talk to patients and the public about therapies of depth, insight and relationship.