Yeah, Right, Whatever

"Head shrinkers"... "witch doctors"... "voodoo"... "quacks"... just a few terms of endearment I've heard referring to counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. And with stories like this, I can see why...

A German man has been arrested after a marriage guidance counsellor advised him to run around naked shouting at trees. Dieter Braun, 43, from Recklinghausen said the stress release technique had worked perfectly until he was arrested. He told police that venting his anger on the trees had stopped him shouting at his wife.

"If I didn't go to the woods and scream at the trees then my marriage would probably be over," he said. He added taking his clothes off at the same time made him feel more relaxed.

"For me it's a type of relaxation therapy. Feeling the breeze on my naked skin really calms me down."

But local police said other visitors to the forest did not find his behaviour relaxing and have now charged him with causing a public nuisance.

Causing a public nuisance? How about Dieter pay for therapy for all the people exposed to his "relaxation therapy"? And... if his wife hasn't left him already, she might need some help, too.

Therapy can help people. I have nothing against genuine counseling to get to the root cause of a patient's problems. It's just stuff like "yell at trees" that gives genuine counselors a bad name. (And, before you start harping on me... sometimes yelling at inanimate objects can release stress. Then again, so does hitting a punching bag- and... um... you don't have to do that nekkid.)