There are many common misconceptions about Provocative Therapy and in this internet era the web is full of self proclaimed “experts” who are quite frankly clueless about Frank;s groundbreaking work. I’ve even seen people set themselves up as trainers in Provocative Therapy having only read the original book. Frank was very clear about how he wanted his work taught and we had many discussions on this subject.
Its NOT about being aggressive
Frank always commented that provocative sessions were conducted in a friendly conversational manner, which is the polar opposite of being aggressive. Provocative Therapy requires the ability for the therapist to pay full attention to the client’s verbal and non verbal responses. There’s no place for aggression in client sessions. Recently I came across a video online by somebody who advocated lots of swearing and learned from a few people other than Frank Farrelly. This is a classic example of dumbed down thinking that is misrepresentative of the Provocative Therapy approach.
Its not about being comedic
Another misconception is that its about being comedic. Yes, humour may result from client interactions, BUT its not about intentionally trying to be comedic. Those advocating such inclusions again have no insight into Frank’s work. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve had to explain this act.
Other common misconceptions
There’s an increasing trend of would be coaches and therapists using “provocative” as a buzzword for their own work, again with no insight into Frank’s approach. This is common among NLP enthisiasts and of course Frank had a poor view of both co creators of NLP.
Frank referenced a small number of people when talking about his work and left strict instructions with his son to pass his archive to myself for safe keeping. He tolerated thos who heavily promoted improv as part of PT, but was not a fan of such a close association with his therapy.
Frank also specifically requested that there should be no certifications in Provocative Therapy and rolled his eyes when one European country wanted students to sit exams on PT.
If you come across anyone claiming to teach “Provocative Therapy” and they are not referenced on this site, there is a high chance its not authentic. If in doubt please e-mail us
Regards
Nick Kemp
Custodian of the Frank Farrelly archive
The blacklist for individuals and companies in respect to Provocative Therapy can be found here