A Word On Testimonials
During an ethics discussion on my latest foundation course in hypo-psychotherapy the question of testimonials came up. Now I have been arguing against these for the better part of 20 years, but I found it really helpful to have the conversation if for no other reason but to give myself a reminder of why opposition to these is still important and relevant.
It is true that many people will look at sites like TripAdvisor and others to get an idea about a place or service. However, these are NOT testimonials, these are reviews which are a totally different animal. A review is totally under the control of the person giving the review which means ostensibly that the review can be either positive or negative. Testimonials are under the control of the person using them and they will only publish testimonials that are positive. Also, there is no guarantee that the testimonials which are published are actually from real people. It has been known that practitioner fake their reviews in order to make themselves look better.
These are the minority of practitioners, of course. A person looking for therapeutic services has so many ways that they can make an informed decision about which practitioner to consult. Testimonials are an imprecise and highly subjective means of making such a choice. After all, if Mr A found a person’s services excellent, that does not guarantee that Ms B will get the same experience. Before consulting a therapist of any kind, do your homework and make an informed choice to find the therapist which will be the best fit for you.
