Psychotherapy & The Placebo Effect: An Ethical Analysis

For over eighty years scholars have hypothesized that the ‘placebo effect’ explains the effectiveness of psychotherapy. But what do we mean by the term ‘placebo effect’? Does the term ‘placebo effect’ make sense in the context of psychotherapy? How might we test the role of the placebo effect in various versions of psychotherapy? And what are the ethical consequences of this debate for patients? The aim of this two and a half day workshop is to bring together a multidisciplinary group of international researchers to help address these questions and their implications for the practice of psychotherapy. The workshop is by invitation only, and presenters must submit an abstract and CV outlining their interest in the topic. Junior researchers are welcome to apply.

Dates: 24-26 June 2014

Location: The Brocher Foundation, 5km outside Geneva.

Confirmed Speakers

Prof Irving Kirsch (Harvard),
Prof John Kelley (Harvard and Endicott College),
Prof Bruce Wampold (University of Wisconsin-Madison),
Prof Fabrizio Benedetti (University of Turin),
Prof Winifred Rief (Philipps University Marburg),
Prof Jens Gaab (University of Basel),
Dr Peter Krummenacher (University of Basel and Zurich University).