Review of The technique of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, The technique of psychotherapy by Lewis R. Wolberg (1954). Noting the dearth of concrete specific writings on psychotherapeutic technique "amidst the lush literature on psychiatry," the author made it his purpose to write a book which would delineate a "sound therapeutic structure irrespective of the specific 'kind' of psychotherapy done and without reference to the individual 'style' of the therapist." The writer compares briefly education, social casework, and counseling of normal people with psychotherapy and finds considerable overlapping in goals and means. He also finds that some of the undercurrent processes in "spontaneous cure" are similar to those in psychotherapy. After these preliminary considerations Wolberg attempts to classify the existing varieties of psychotherapy into three types: (a) supportive therapies; (b) insight therapies with re-educative goals; (c) insight therapies with reconstructive goals. The reviewer reports that while the presentation of the chief tenets of the various present-day therapies is too brief to teach a novice, it is so lively and stimulating that it certainly will whet his appetite and induce him to go to the original sources. The criticism of each "approach" is confined to a few objections presented, not as the author's own beliefs, but as opinions voiced by unspecified critics. This is a very important book to be read and enjoyed by all psychologists, practitioners, and theoreticians alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The handbook of constructive therapies: Innovative approaches from leading practitioners.

Reviews the book, The handbook of constructive therapies: Innovative approaches from leading practitioners by Michael F. Hoyt (see record 1998-07937-000). The range of therapies fitting within the "constructivist" rubric includes (but is not limited to) narrative, solution-focused, solution-oriented, possibility, dialogic, reflective, and various aspects of family therapy. How does one teach-or learn-constructivism? A handbook, after all, is designed as a guide that tells you how to do things. For some of these authors, constructivism is an attitude, a perspective, a way of listening and being in dialogue. It is evanescent, in the unique moment. Others share specific techniques, some of which have become nearly reified through workshop presentations. Taken as a whole, these chapters work both within and across each other, comparable to the effective functioning of reflecting teams. The many voices complement and add further meaning. Most chapters are engagingly and clearly written, inviting the reader to further comprehension. Case examples, some in considerable detail, add to that understanding. As the chapters intersect and "speak" to each other, the reader can reflect on the "meta issues": the role of therapist, who is therapist, what is therapy, and what is therapeutic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The integrative power of cognitive therapy.

Reviews the book, The integrative power of cognitive therapy by Brad A. Alford and Aaron T. Beck (see record 1997-97373-000). This book makes a case for Cognitive Therapy (CT) as the integrative paradigm for psychotherapy. The writing instructs the reader in Cognitive Therapy and advocates its superiority to other approaches, especially the so-called psychotherapy integration movement of the Society for Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI), to integrate the diversity that is contemporary psychotherapy. The authors want to show us the way into the twenty-first century, and there are far worse guides for us to follow. CT is comprehensive in theory and technique, and it is sensibly grounded in empirical findings and to a lesser extent in cognitive psychology. Nonetheless, some will be reluctant to grant a monopoly to Beck and his successors. All should read this book and decide on which side of the issue to stand. At the very least, the reader will learn about CT or have previous learning consolidated, and will engage in a provocative debate about the nature and future of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The competent child.

Reviews the book, The competent child by Joseph M. Strayhorn (see record 1988-97840-000). The Competent Child is an outline of Strayhorn's approach to psychotherapy. The value of this text rests in its ability to present a clear and practical guide to therapy with children, while respecting the individuality of the therapist and client. In developing his approach to psychotherapy, Strayhorn was guided by two concepts: 1) all psychotherapy can be subsumed under a competence-based approach and 2) psychotherapy is essentially a learning-based intervention which involves the acquisition of skills. The first five chapters of the book provide the background for understanding the skills X method approach and instruct the reader as to how to assess a child's skills. The next three chapters are devoted to the application of the approach to children, adolescents and parents. In chapter nine Strayhorn discusses the difficulties one can have in producing positive results in therapy and attempts to deal with some of the difficulties one might run in to. The final two chapters propose ways of expanding the competence approach into preventive mental health and raise research questions. The book can be recommended to seasoned child practitioners looking to expand their repertoire of skills and to novices seeking to go beyond theory to practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The technique of psychotherapy.

Review the book "The technique of psychotherapy," by Lewis R. Wolberg (see record 1954-08774-000). This is not the case with The Technique of Psychotherapy. It provides one of the most remarkably comprehensive discussions of specifically what to do in psychotherapy that is currently available. The range and specificity of the topics covered is truly astounding. The topics covered deal with almost every conceivable question that the beginning therapist might ask an expert. This book is remarkable not only in the comprehensiveness of its coverage of specific aspects of therapy but also in the flexibility and freedom of dogmatism of the writer. Wolberg's position appears to be best described as eclectic-psychoanalytic. Wolberg has something good to find in all varieties of psychotherapy. Insight therapy, catharsis, re-education, environmental manipulation, support, reassurance, hypnosis, dream interpretation, free association, and persuasion all have their place for different kinds of therapy and for different kinds of cases. It will be useful in teaching psychotherapy and as a reference for those who practice psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The compleat therapist.

Reviews the book, The compleat therapist by Jeffrey A. Kottler (see record 1990-98953-000) . The Compleat Therapist begins with an assessment of the state of the art of psychotherapy, concluding with the observation first articulated by Goldfried in his landmark 1982 book, Converging Themes in Psychotherapy: The number of therapies has expanded exponentially over recent years, and paradigm strain mandates attempt to find commonalities and integrations. The book then proceeds to summarize research findings and the writer's personal observations regarding variables common to most therapies and to most effective therapists. The Compleat Therapist homogonizes therapy, and in so-doing points out the risks of the integrative psychotherapy movement. By putting all therapies into one blender and whirling them into one concoction, the unique techniques and insights of each tend to get lost. The result can be, and in this case is, a loss of data. The significant contributions of each type of therapy are submerged in the hunt for common elements. This book's conclusion seems to be that anything works, and why is a mystery. As a professional discipline we need to set our sights higher than that. An approach to integration that looks only at common factors is like looking at antibiotics, aspirin, and cortisone, all of which make people feel better, to find their commonality. Yes, they are all medicines, but that data does not facilitate treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Mind in Therapy: Cognitive Science for Practice.

Reviews the book, The Mind in Therapy: Cognitive Science for Practice by Katherine D. Arbuthnott, Dennis W. Arbuthnott and Valerie A. Thompson (see record 2005-13477-000). In this text, the authors apply the conceptual underpinnings of cognitive science, and its empirical findings, to particular practical issues. In 16 chapters, the authors review different areas of cognitive research and emphasize findings relevant to the theoretical and applied aspects of psychotherapy. Each chapter begins with general definitions of key terms and explains how various cognitive constructs, and the research literature surrounding them, are important to psychotherapy. Many chapters also include case illustrations to translate these concepts into application. The goal of the book--to increase clinicians' understanding of the cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in therapy and to encourage practitioners to integrate this knowledge within the treatments that they provide--is certainly achieved. Practitioners who read this text will be more cognizant of the cognitive processes that influence treatment and may be more deliberate in their use of cognitive mechanisms in therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychotherapy of the elderly self.

Reviews the book, The psychotherapy of the elderly self by Hyman L. Muslin (see record 1992-98107-000). The purpose of this book is to describe the extension of psychoanalytic therapy in the Kohut mode to the elderly. Specifically the author describes the changes the elderly must cope with, the impact these changes have on the elderly self, and the kind of psychotherapy that will best help them cope with these changes. This book has a rather narrow focus, and is likely to be of interest mostly to those engaged in the Kohutian version of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It does not present much material that is likely to be of help to those engaged in the more general practice of psychology with aged individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive therapy with schizophrenic patients.

Reviews the book, Cognitive therapy with schizophrenic patients by Carlo Perris (see record 1989-97536-000). The author wrote this book with the purpose of presenting cognitive psychotherapy as a part of a successful holistic, cognitive behavioral program implemented at small community-based treatment centers, and as individual therapy with relatively young patients suffering from a schizophrenic disorder. The program de-emphasizes the medical model and introduces a 24-hour psychosocial milieu treatment model conducted over at least 9 full months, in which the patient is responsible for goal-setting, interpersonal problem solving, and medication schedule, with little family intervention. Throughout the text, the author writes about cognitive psychotherapy. The words "cognitive psychotherapy" not "cognitive therapy" would seem to be most appropriate for the tide of the book. For some therapists and researchers, specific information on cognitive therapy includes more details on tasks and measures of performance ranging from arousal, attention, and concentration through recognition, recall, immediate, delayed, long-term, and short term and executive functions, that is, the information processing approach. One of the attractions of the book is that readers first learning about cognitive psychotherapy are offered an opportunity to explore the future use of cognitive psychotherapy with schizophrenic patients and other patient groups. For psychotherapists, mental health workers, graduate, and undergraduate students, Cognitive Therapy with Schizophrenic Patients, is a thorough introduction to a new treatment strategy for schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The art of the psychotherapist.

Reviews the book, The art of the psychotherapist by James F. T. Bugental (see record 1987-97347-000). Those who are fortunate enough to read this book are in for a treat. James Bugental shares with us a sensitivity, an artistry, and a professionalism that encompasses 40 years of his life as a psychotherapist. This book is well written, clear in style and presentation. It is a book that may be viewed by those of us who have practiced for many years as a way of reviewing and rethinking what we have been doing and the manner in which we have been functioning. For the young therapist it gives much food for thought. For the supervisor it offers an opportunity to formulate ways of thinking and approaching students in a novel and creative manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The creative process of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, The creative process of psychotherapy by Albert Rothenberg (see record 1987-98784-000). Rothenberg's most recent work is a slim, elegantly crafted volume bearing an unanticipated impact. The subject, psychotherapy as a "creative process," suggests a threadbare humanistic cliché, a pleasing phrase devoid of meaning or procedural import. However, creativity emerges from this work as an unexpectedly legitimate, specifiable, and procedurally relevant dimension of psychotherapy. Rothenberg sees the creative process as consisting of three basic elements: the "homospatial" process, the "janusian" process, and a more vaguely defined general function labeled "articulation." It is the homospatial and janusian notions that yield the most productive applications to therapy. The homospatial process involves imagining a literal superimposition of two or more discrete sensory entities, entities such as visual images, patterns of sound, and so on. This imagined superimposition is not a regression to primary process, not a condensation or fusion, but rather a dynamic, unstable interaction that yields products both new and valuable. The janusian process refers to simultaneously conceiving two or more antithetical notions. In the author's thinking, articulation is a general function which, while encompassing the previously mentioned processes, includes other patterns as well. Despite isolated deficits, this work is a mature, masterful treatment of a critically important issue in clinical work. The author accurately points out that the richest and most productive therapy is creative, and he encourages us as helpers to give freer rein to our homospatial and janusian functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The process of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book "The process of psychotherapy," by H. V. Ingham and L. R. Love (see record 1954-07599-000). In the preface the authors state "This book is an attempt to describe the ways in which a psychotherapist works. . . . Anyone engaged in psychotherapy is concerned with both an understanding of people and an appreciation of the ways of dealing with them. Certainly much more consideration has generally been given to a presentation of dynamic theory or to using the advantages of combining both fields than to efforts at describing how psychotherapy is conducted." The authors have been singularly successful in avoiding raising and discussing problems either of "dynamic theory" or the relation of theory to psychotherapeutic practice. It is difficult to evaluate this book because we are not told for whom it is intended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of experiential psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Handbook of experiential psychotherapy by Leslie S. Greenberg, Jeanne C. Watson, and Germain Lietaer (see record 1999-02133-000). The editors of this book note that what they call the experiential therapies (such as client-centered, Gestalt, and existential therapies) have receded into the background since their heyday in the sixties and seventies. Their stated purpose in this useful book is to make professionals aware of how experiential therapies have become more focused, generated a new theoretical perspective on human functioning, and continued research on the process of change. The editors also wish to integrate the experiential therapies to become an alternative to cognitive and dynamic approaches to therapy. Each chapter contains a reference section for those who wish to pursue any of the topics in more depth. The editors might not have succeeded in shaping the experiential therapies as an integrated alternative to the prevailing approaches of our day, but they definitely have provided an exposition of this approach that can inform every clinician's work, no matter what orientation he or she espouses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The anatomy of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, The anatomy of psychotherapy by Lawrence Friedman (see record 1988-97848-000). The authors' aim is to clarify the various theories of psychoanalysis from Freud to the current and to examine in depth the personal features of the analyst in the context of his/her work. With a knowledge of the entire range of psychoanalytic literature rare with most theorists or practitioners, the author reviews the philosophical developments of Freudian theory. He includes in this review some of the frictions, disputes and subtle disagreements within the classical analytic tradition. He then proceeds to describe the most significant of the contemporary deviations from classical theory (e.g., object relations, interpersonal theory, self psychology, action language) and compares and contrasts them with each other. Friedman has long been a commentator on contemporary psychoanalytic developments and he has adapted his many articles into this work. The book itself is organized into six sections, focusing on the personal and theoretical. It is well written but quite dense. Much concentration is needed. I believe that one must have an interest in psychoanalytic theory as well as a rather sophisticated appreciation of it to truly enjoy this book. It is long and detailed and I imagine difficult to get through without an intrinsic interest in the "anatomy" of psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Group exercises for adolescents: A manual for therapists.

Reviews the book, Group exercises for adolescents: A manual for therapists by Susan Carrell (see record 1993-98929-000). Practitioners who dare venture into the bewildering, unpredictable realm of group psychotherapy with adolescents likely will find Carrell's Group Exercises for Adolescents to be a wonderful navigational aid. While the bulk of the book contains 25 group exercises, two useful overview chapters precede the application section. A brief opening chapter offers some developmental highlights of adolescence, while the second chapter provides a Cook's tour of practical suggestions and recommendations for conducting adolescent groups. The latter is a superb introduction to the problems and prospects of group work with this challenging population, and it can almost stand alone as a primer for less experienced practitioners who are approaching the group leadership role with an adolescent group for the first time. More experienced leaders, however, will not be bored. While limited in scope, Carrell's Manual covers well its intended content. The book is well-written and carefully organized, and brings great clarity to each area examined, benefiting greatly from a distinct lack of jargon. A spiral binding facilitates use. While the workbook foregoes a scholarly base, its strength resides in pragmatism. These are methods that have worked well for the author, and which have survived the critical appraisal of a pool of over 300 teen clients who rated the exercises for effectiveness. The book is recommended highly as a valuable resource for therapists of any discipline who facilitate psychotherapy groups for adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The integration of psychotherapies.

Reviews the book, The integration of psychotherapies by Alvin R. Mahrer with a Foreword by John C. Norcross (see record 1989-97512-000). Mahrer has written the book for those who are learning, teaching, supervising, and trying to integrate psychotherapies. In the book he is trying to answer the following questions: What are the various strategies that are used for integrating psychotherapies? How do the several strategies fare comparatively in their feasibility, workability, and chances for success in integrating psychotherapies? What are the likely consequences for the field of psychotherapy of pursuing each of the strategies? Is integration good or bad for the field of psychotherapy? On the basis of his study of the various strategies for integrating psychotherapies, what recommendations are warranted? This book is a valuable intellectual contribution to the development of theory in psychotherapy. The process of attempting to integrate psychotherapies is inevitable, and by producing this thoughtful and scholarly work Mahrer has helped to raise the quality of the integration effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Group therapy for medically ill patients.

Reviews the book, Group therapy for medically ill patients edited by James L. Spira (see record 1997-97516-000). This book provides information on group psychotherapy for the management of acute and chronically ill medical patients. The text is divided into sections dealing with illness prevention, threats-to-life illnesses, and maladaptive health behaviors. According to the reviewer, this book lacks comprehensiveness and only its reference sections serve as a means to redirect the aggressive reader to a foundation and expansion for each topic. In addition, it may cover too little while attempting to cover a great deal. However, this text serves as a convenient, albeit incomplete reference and is a worthy addition to the clinician's library. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of experiential psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Handbook of experiential psychotherapy edited by Leslie S. Greenberg, Jeanne C. Watson, and Germain Lietaer (1998). The editors note in their introductory comment that the "influence of the humanistic approaches to psychotherapy has waned since their prominence in the sixties and seventies" (p. ix). What this book makes eminently clear, however, is that experientially oriented therapies have not disappeared in the shadow of more recent developments in theory and practice. This book is well written, well organized, and rich in content. Furthermore, it fills an important gap in the literature. In a climate dominated by the search for "scientifically validated treatments," for-profit mental service providers, and praxis dominated by issues of efficacy, concern for the fundamental underlying process responsible for positive human change tends to be relegated to the background. This volume not only highlights the contributions experiential/third-force psychotherapy has made and continues to make to our appreciation of these fundamental processes, but also manages to combine and balance interesting theoretical discussion with clinically useful practical material. While this volume is no "cookbook of experiential therapy," the authors respect the practical demands facing practitioners and provide useful examples of applying some of the basic tenets of the "third force" to a range of specific issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)