What is wrong with psychotherapeutic investigation of childhood abuse?

Contentious, unproven and seriously flawed theories regarding repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse are practised in certain types of psychotherapy. Yet, astonishingly, there are no credible codes of practice or ethical guidance documents that prescribe the way in which psychotherapeutic investigations, underpinned by these theories of child abuse, are carried out in practice. Therefore, people who have child abuse allegations made against them have little chance of challenging the theories, practices and methods, as there is no effective legal framework for complaints, or recourse to ombudsman redress. Organisations representing psychotherapists may have rules and regulations but they do not deal properly with complaints of misdiagnoses of childhood abuse, in fact they tend to deny that wrongful diagnoses occur. It is to be hoped that recent proposals for a code of conduct and register of therapists will address the particular problems caused by ‘recovered memory’ practitioners .... (full article)