Book Description

There are many books that depict the psychological world, its richness of theories and counseling models. Yet there are few books that integrate under one cover clusters of counseling models that rightfully need to be treated and considered together because of their inherent commonalities. Treated in this cluster-like fashion, breakthroughs in psychological counseling may be better observed and thus better understood. With an enhanced appreciation from this broader and higher level of knowledge, the counselor can become better equipped, more flexible, and hopefully more effective with clients. Thus the counselor avoids being "wedded" to any one particular model as Carl Whitaker had correctly cautioned against many years ago. This book deals with the treatment of six psychotherapeutic models which, despite their differences and unique characteristics, are interwoven into a huge quilt identifiable as modern brief therapy under the rubric of family/systems. This book effects a synthesis so that the following models are appreciated for their unique breakthroughs and special connectedness with each other. The models treated relate to the Mental Research Institute (problem-focused), the Milan School (circular questioning), Steve de Shazer (solution-focused), O'Hanlon & Weiner-Davis (solution-oriented), Terri Real (constructivist), and White & Epston (narrative techniques).