Sparks - Evidence based practice

As Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar", but he also taught us that sometimes it isn't and there is more to the story.

Even though I have been a psychiatric social worker for over 40 years I am still reminded that the presenting complaint is only the ticket of admission for most clients who want to tell their story and get some help because they are feeling stuck in their lives. Symptoms are usually the warning flags that something needs attention.

With so called "evidence based practices" symtoms are reified and taken literally to mean something that they often don't mean. The current emphasis on "evidence based practice is usually motivated by economic and regulatory concerns not good clinical practice which is ethically based.

When you read or hear the term evidence based practice it would be good to be skeptical and look below the surface to understand the agenda of the people promoting the practice. What is their agenda? What are their concerns? What is the purpose of getting "evidence based practice" adopted in a certain setting? Usually it has little to do with good patient care. Patient care is usually a secondary consideration. Don't believe me? Follow the money.