Toward the Unification of Psychotherapy: An Introduction to the Journal Symposium (original) (raw)
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Changes On Their Way a Future for Psychotherapy
In this small article, I want to be very practical, just pointing out some changes that are already happening or will be happening soon in the field of Psychotherapy and especially in Transpersonal Psychotherapy.
Review of Comprehensive handbook of psychotherapy integration
Psychotherapy, 1994
Although there are a number of volumes available now that purport to give an overview of the field of psychotherapy, none is more ambitious or extensive than this four-volume work produced under the general editorship of Florence Kaslow. She is one of the most prolific contributors in the United States to the topics of life span developmental psychology and family psychology. This initial volume, under the specific editorship of Jeffrey J. Magnavita, is an excellent introduction to the multivolume set. The text consists of 25 chapters, organized into six different sections. The first three sections address psychotherapy for three different age stratifications: children, adolescents, and adults. Sections IV and V address couples and family therapy, and group therapy, respectively. The closing section VI addresses "special topics," which turn out to include group interventions in therapeutic communities, cardiac patients, and ethnic and gender topics, as these have a bearing on transference in psychotherapy. This is followed by a closing summary of the entire volume by Magnavita. The arrangement of the first three sections is relatively unique in volumes of this type, in that they address developmental issues literally in a developmental sequence, discussing first those psychological problems commonly encountered in treatment of children, then moving up the age span to adolescents and young adults, and finally to adult patients. Despite the title of the volume, no one scheme of dynamically informed psychotherapy seems favored over others, and several of the individual chapter writers appear to have gone out of their way to speak to clinical issues, without the highly technical jargon so typical in psychoanalytic and many psychodynamic works. In fact, nondynamic clinicians will usually be able to follow the formulations offered for treatment, and several writers have included much case material, sensitively handled, in their illustrations of technique. Another intriguing feature of this particular volume is its exposition of treatment methods in relation to certain well-known, but not necessarily well-understood, clinical phenomena. So, several chapter writers address inhibited adult sexual desire, which may arise from trauma and "objectification" (Chenoweth); clinical syndromes in which there are multiple comorbidities, perhaps attached to adults as well as offspring in a family relational context (Magnavita); and group therapy techniques with schizophrenic patients (Guimon). Moreover, several chapters address problematic patient interactions in an extremely practical way, often highly applicable even to acute care treatment settings-such as hospitals and specialty clinics-which are commonplace now in the care of such physical illnesses as cancer and heart disease (e.g., Chapter 23 by Dornelas & Thompson on "Psychodynamic Treatment for Cardiac Patients"). A nonmedical application of this same pragmatic orientation may be found in the chapter, "A Relational Approach to Psychotherapy," by Muran and Safran, who invite the therapist (and in their model, the therapist then invites the patient) to oscillate between content and process, attending in several specific ways to their experiences and thus to their contributions to dyadic ruptures and, ultimately, to mutuality. Their methods seem especially likely to be applicable to a broad range of clinical circumstances, partly because they are for the most part brief and specific and partly because they acknowledge the immediate experience of both patient and therapist, in a way that avoids obscurity. This volume edited by Magnavita is certainly worth its cost. Although each chapter may not be sufficiently strong to merit equal attention, there is much merit here to warrant the scrutiny of most eclectic, as well as most psychodynamically inclined, therapists. Caveats involved in this reading must also be noted. There is still a strong Book Reviews 382 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
The Vices and Virtues of Monolithic Thought in the Evolution of Psychotherapy
Journal of Psychotherapy Integration Vol 24(2), Jun 2014, 79-90. , 2014
Psychotherapists loyal to Single Orientation (SO) movements (such as cognitive–behavioral therapy [CBT], psycho-dynamics, Gestalt, etc.) are usually described in negative terms as having attitudes of superiority, contempt, and aversion toward other adjoining therapeutic “cultures.” In contrast to such a viewpoint, this article using post-positivists philosophy emphasizes the importance of theoretical fundamentalism associated with SO to the evolution of theory in psychotherapy. Through an analogy between the evolution of psychotherapy and the assimilation of the discoveries of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, the article illustrates the extent to which loyalty to a single approach enables and encourages the enterprise of inventors, developers, and implementers belonging to various psychotherapeutic movements. The article calls upon integrationist theoreticians to embrace a dialogic and dialectic perspective and to adopt a tolerant view in relation to theoretical fundamentalism. Finally, the implications of this approach to training, practice, and the integration movement are discussed.
Psychotherapy in the New Millennium
1999
This article reviews seven trends that were identified several years ago that have impacted the field of psychotherapy, especially such estimated changes as psycho-economics, managed care, wellness promotion, gender, and elderly care. Six new trends are described that are emerging and are leading the profession into the future: psychotherapy integration, specialization, managing psychotherapy, expansion of the scope of practice, cultural diversity, and psychotherapy without walls. Psychotherapy integration is described as finding the right therapist for the right problem. Through specialization, psychotherapists can offer a unique skill they have developed. How managed care reform continues to change the psychotherapy profession is discussed and the possibility of expanding the scope of practice through prescription drug privileges is examined. It is stated that in order for psychotherapists to survive in practice, they must address how to involve diversity in students coming into the practice and diversity among clients using their services. Psychotherapy without walls acknowledges the reality that future interactions between clients and therapists may be in "virtual" time. The conclusion indicates that the profession will be dealing with a revolutionary explosion of new forms and models for training, practice, and research. (Contains 53 references.) (JDM) Several years ago, I wrote an editorial piece in Psychotherapy identifying seven trends which were to impact upon the field of psychotherapy . These included psycho-economics, the new client, gender and psychotherapy, psychotherapy and the elderly, drug therapy and psychotherapy, professional training at the doctoral level and beyond, and pragmatism. Before proceeding with my prognostications for the twenty-first century, let's examine my track record from several years ago as a preface for the future and as an exercise in humility.
Psychotherapy integration: A postmodern critique
Clinical Psychology: Science and …, 1997
This article critiques major trends in the psychotherapy integration movement from the postmodem perspectives of contextualism and pluralism. A contextualist position asserts that psychothelrpeutic concepts and interventions u n be understood only within the linguistic, theoretical, and ideological f n m e w o h in which they are embedded. Therefore, they take on new meanings when extracted from their original context and are incorporated into an eclectic therapy. Pluralism holds that there is no single theoretiul, epistemological, or methodologiul approach that is preeminent and no one, cotred integrative system toward which the field of psychotherapy is evolving. In light of this critique, we ugue that the goal of the integration movement should be t o maintain an ongoing dialogue among proponents of d*rent theories and world views, thenby allowing for tho darifiution of d f h rences as well as the judicious integmtlon of akemative perspectives and techniques. The article also spollr out the implications of contextualism i n d pluralism for psychotherapy theory, practice, and research.
(Psychotherapy) The Development of Psychotherapy in the Modern Era
The Cambridge Handbook of the Intellectual History of Psychology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.468-494., 2019
Psychotherapy encompasses a broad array of psychological procedures that typically address individual well-being or self-understanding. With diverse roots in hypnosis and persuasion, psychotherapy evolved from marginal treatment option at the turn of the 20 th century to central modality in contemporary Western mental health services. Psychoanalysis dominated the theoretical development and public image of psychotherapy in the first half of the 20 th century, even though its practice was largely restricted to a psychiatric elite. Input from the emerging field of clinical psychology saw the development of alternative behavioral and cognitive approaches in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. These pragmatic techniques and accessible ideas were combined as cognitive-behavioral therapy and standardized in manualized form. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was more readily adapted to evidence-based paradigms than psychoanalysis, and evaluation research generally confirmed its efficacy. In recent times, the disciplinary basis for psychotherapy training and practice has broadened. While economic factors have prompted psychiatrists to move away from psychotherapy, especially in America, clinical psychologists have been joined by practitioners from other disciplines such as social work and psychiatric nursing. Despite the push for standardization, psychotherapeutic practice has remained eclectic. Psychotherapists continue to expand their professional remit, both upholding and challenging prevailing cultural norms.
Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 1994
Since its inception, the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) has attempted to include members of all schools in an open dialogue. The time has come for SEPI to stop exploring and to start defining the principles of psychotherapy integration. This paper proposes several principles of psychotherapy integration covering (1) influences outside the schools, (2) psychotherapy structures, (3) standard data-gathering techniques, (4) commonly used causal patterns, (5) principles of change, (6) psychotherapy values, and (6) the limitations of psychotherapy. I call for a consensus conference on psychotherapy integration to further develop these principles.