Psychotherapism: An Analytical Tool for a Political and Epistemological Critique of the Psychotherapy Apparatus

The article critically examines psychotherapy’s sociopolitical role through the concept of psychotherapism , seen as both an analytical tool and a set of effects related to the expansion of the psychotherapy apparatus . Drawing on Castel’s psychoanalysm, critical theory, and liberation psychology, it identifies four main, though non-exhaustive, iatrogenic outcomes: clinical harm, social stratification, symbolic individualization, and erosion of collective bonds. The analysis exposes psychotherapy’s alignment with neoliberal governance and challenges its presumed neutrality. It advocates for a decolonial, justice-oriented praxis that reclaims non-commodified, community-based care.