This book explores what 'critical' means for the talking therapies in a climate of increasing state influence and intervention. It looks at theoretical and practical notions of 'critical' from perspectives including queer theory, feminism, Marxism, the psychiatric survivor movement, as well as from within counsellor training and education.

This book explores what 'critical' means for the talking therapies in a climate of increasing state influence and intervention. It looks at theoretical and practical notions of 'critical' from perspectives including queer theory, feminism, Marxism, the psychiatric survivor movement, as well as from within counsellor training and education.

`My congratulations to Colin Feltham for assembling a set of contentious issues and lively authors which together made me forget my surroundings′ - Person-Centred Practice `Editor Colin Feltham′s choice of topics shows an astute, on-the-ground awareness of the issues that dog the industry, while still making lively reading′ - New Therapist In this book, leading practitioners, critics and commentators take sides on many topical and core debates including: · Theoretical issues: Does the unconscious really exist? Is birth trauma a fiction? Should one believe in `false memories′? · Clinical issues: Is therapy effective? Is `the relationship′ central to success? Do therapists pathologize their clients? Are boundaries necessary? · Professional issues: Do trainees need therapy? Is professionalization of the field desirable? Are counselling and psychotherapy really distinguishable? · Social issues: Can therapy be proven necessary? Does therapy benefit individuals or contribute to social control? Does stress really exist?

Psychotherapy is a patchwork of different methods and schools. For established therapists and young trainees alike, it can be a challenge to see the wood for the trees, let alone to choose between the specialized schools of therapy. Most books on this subject tend to be either very scientific and rather boring to read, or they have been written from a particular perspective, usually promoting some form of psychotherapy whilst neglecting or criticizing other approaches. Therefore, the authors offer a well-balanced overview of the field of psychotherapy in a very accessible way for a broad public. Psychotherapy: A Critical Guide, will pilot the reader through the confusing landscape of modern psychotherapy. A critical overview of the various therapy schools is given, covering their: origins and development: historical roots, influential contributors, and important theoretical developments; theory: general concepts and explanations of human problems (disorders); therapy: treatment process and techniques; consideration: critical appraisal of strengths and weaknesses. Through this systematic approach, the reader is able to get to grips with and compare the various forms of psychotherapy. Furthermore, the book is full of lively quotes and stimulating comments. In brief, Psychotherapy offers a useful and critical overview to anyone who wants to explore the world of psychotherapy beyond the surface. This book is a translation of 'Psychotherapie, van theorie tot praktijk', ISBN 9789031375158.

Encouraging psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and counsellors to adopt a more balanced view of their own discipline, this book also aims to help students engage in critical debate during their training.

“This book provides a very good introduction to the key concepts and theories that inform and frame the current psychotherapeutic and counselling landscape. Each author has written on a selection of basic concepts as they are approached in their preferred therapeutic modality, resulting in an exciting and inclusive overview of both old and contemporary psychotherapeutic thought. In addition, each author is mindful of the importance of a critical appraisal of the various concepts and theories. Thus, this book will be extremely useful both for trainees and practitioners.” Dr Anastasios Gaitanidis, Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton, London, UK “As well as being an invaluable source of knowledge about all aspects of counselling and psychotherapy, this book is a real pleasure to read. The authors have been able to capture the essence of ideas, traditions and key figures in a way that is accessible and a consistent source of delight and illumination. Highly recommended for anyone wishing to expand their psychotherapeutic horizons.” John McLeod, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of Abertay Dundee, UK “This book does what it says on the tin, it highlights the key concepts and theories in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. It is a systematic and encyclopaedic voyage of all the central constructs in the field. It is very well written, snappy and thorough, but more important, it serves a vital need of putting in one place all the theories and concepts needed by anyone interested in counselling and psychotherapy.” Cary L. Cooper, CBE, Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health, Lancaster University, UK and President of BACP “This is an invaluable guide for anyone wanting easily accessible information about counselling theory and practice. It will be as useful to trainees sitting as counsellors, as to experienced practitioners wanting to update their knowledge on the latest thinking.” Tim Bond, University of Bristol, UK This helpful book offers a concise overview of core concepts within the four dominant approaches to counselling and psychotherapy: psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, cognitive behavioural and integrative. The book aims to assist you in developing your critical thinking and essay writing skills and includes: Over 140 entries, each between 500 and 1200 words Critical and engaging discussions of core concepts Biographical sketches of leading theorists, including: Freud, Jung and Rogers Using the popular alphabetical format, Key Concepts in Counselling and Psychotherapy is an ideal first source for students with an essay on counselling theory to write, a case study to analyse, a belief or assumption to challenge, or a question to explore. It will also appeal to practitioners or academics wanting to refresh their knowledge of theory and research.

This unique book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of psychotherapy. Volume 2 traces the evolution of psychotherapy from the 1950s and the later 20th century through to modern times, considering what the future of psychotherapy will look like. The book shows how the history of psychotherapy has evolved over time through different branches and examines the offshoots as they develop. Each part of the book represents a significant period of time or a decade of the 20th century and provides a detailed overview of all significant movements within the history of psychology. The book also shows connections with history and contextualizes each therapeutic paradigm so it can be better understood it in a broader social context. The book is the first of its kind to show the parallel evolution of different theories in psychotherapy. It will be essential reading for researchers and students in the fields of clinical psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, the history of medicine and psychology.

This book is an introduction to critical existential-analytic psychotherapy. It has been written as a response to what is considered to be a crisis point in what is currently taken as psychotherapeutic knowledge. A focus point is the relentless move in psychotherapy and psychotherapy trainings towards evidence-based practice. It is suggested that such developments can be usefully challenged if we are to consider: Can starting with theory be a form of violence? Should a primacy be given to practice? Does reliance on empirical research mean we start from the wrong place? From a critical existential-analytic psychotherapeutic perspective, the answer to all three of these questions is ‘yes’. This perspective, therefore, is fundamentally different from what psychological therapists are increasingly purporting to do, and further challenges other current notions from diagnosis and treatment to dominant discourses in psychology. The aim of this book is to consider some ways in which the psychological therapies might be able to move away from the crisis mainly caused by what is currently wrongly being understood in terms of ‘evidence-based practice’ as the nature of psychotherapeutic knowledge. Instead, it is proposed that primacy be given to: practice, considering theories having implications rather than applications, and privileging thoughtfulness with notions of research being seen more as cultural practices. This book is based on a special issue of the European Journal of Psychotherapy& Counselling.

Del Loewenthal's career has been wide-ranging, spanning existentialism, psychoanalysis, critical psychotherapy, humanism, postmodernism, phototherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and childhood studies. This collection combines new and recent works with earlier writings, drawing together his outstanding research and contribution to existential theory, practice and research. Containing chapters and papers chosen by Loewenthal himself, the book is divided into the following sections: • Existentialism after postmodernism and the psychological therapies • Practice, ideologies and politics: Now you see it, now you don’t! • Practice, practice issues and the nature of psychotherapeutic knowledge • Practice and theory: Implications not applications • Thoughtful practice and research • Conclusion: Hopefully unending, continually changing and astonishing After an introduction to the overall book, each section is accompanied by the author's exploration of his further thoughts on the pieces, his own subsequent learning and his comments on developments in the field since the time of writing. Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling after Postmodernism will be inspiring reading for psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, counsellors, other mental health professionals in general, and existential therapists in particular.

The 2nd Edition of Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the highly successful practice-oriented handbook designed to demystify psychoanalytic psychotherapy, is updated and revised to reflect the latest developments in the field. Updated edition of an extremely successful textbook in its field, featuring numerous updates to reflect the latest research and evidence base Demystifies the processes underpinning psychoanalytic psychotherapy, particularly the development of the analytic attitude guided by principles of clinical technique Provides step-by-step guidance in key areas such as how to conduct assessments, how to formulate cases in psychodynamic terms and how to approach endings The author is a leader in the field – she is General Editor of the New Library of Psychoanalysis book series and a former editor of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy