Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Russia

Abstract

In the summer of 1991, during the waning days of the Soviet empire, the first author served as a visiting professor of psychology at Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) State University. During this time, he collaborated with the second author on a study of the practice and profession of Russian psychotherapy. A series of interviews was conducted with Russian clinicians who were actively involved in outpatient psychotherapy. In these interviews, issues of psychological education, employment opportunities, and clinical training were addressed. In addition, clinical topics such as models of etiology and treatment, the mechanics of practice, law and ethics, and the impact of politics and culture on psychotherapy were also covered. What emerged from this investigation was a picture of a profession with some similarities, but with many differences, compared to that which exists in the United States. It was noted, for example, that humanistic-existential conceptions of personality and therapy are relatively more prominent in Russia, and that the long tradition of Russian authoritarianism has an important influence on the psychotherapy relationship. Collectively, the commonalities and differences across the two systems described in this article provide a baseline from which changes in the post-Soviet era can be understood and evaluated. The article concludes with some speculative comments on the future of Russian psychotherapy. It should be noted that, although the year following the failed hard-line coup has been one of great economic and political upheaval in the Russian republic, the state of clinical psychology and psychotherapy described in this article remains largely the same.