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Interesting point about 'alternative' psychological theories @miss_mouse.
Recently I've been introduced to Personal Construct Psychology, (http://www.pcp-net.org/encyclopaedia/pc-theory.html)
which put simply, is the idea that we each construct the way we see things and react to things differently, the way we construe the world is an ongoing testing of our theories, we are scientists continually experimenting and changing in the way we see things.PCP therapy starts with trying to understand / help someone understand how they construes things, to understand why that how they feel or react to things is down to this. A PCP therapist may help a person test other theories which may help them construe the world a little differently, which may lead to improved relationships etc
Mainstream therapy (based largely on the Freudian model of early influences dictating current behaviour ) is so accepted and part of our language and culture (Perhaps due to the psychology industry wishing to protect its own) leads to PCP and other positive theories being rejected and unavailable in mainstream NHS
skydancer-
That sounds interesting and actually not a million miles away from CBT models I've seen whereby patients are asked to keep thought records so as to identify patterns, do behavioural experiments (or 'exposures') to challenge habitual actions and unhelpful theories, or develop visualisation exercises that can enable new theories to be 'tested out' by repeatedly enacting them in the imagination.
Miss_Mouse
...and therein lies the challenge faced by almost every 'alternative' therapy or treatment technique, especially for psychological issues. I have seen attitudes change though, especially over the past 5 or so years, even if the funding hasn't always followed suit. It's great to see mindfulness, acupuncture, and elements of the 12 Steps being adopted by hospitals, for example.