Integrative therapy - Maja O'Brien

`This book is itself an integrative endeavour which lends authenticity to the work as a whole as it is written by two authors from different backgrounds....The integrative framework is clearly laid out, and some very central questions are asked and explored' - The Psychotherapy Review

Integrative Therapy is a timely and innovative guide for practitioners which explores what research has shown to be the effective dimensions of therapy whatever the therapist's orientation. Guided by the theory that no single approach can do justice to the complexity of human beings, the authors argue for the integration of theories and methods to best meet the needs of different clients at different stages.

At a time when integration rather than `schoolism' is increasingly seen as the way forward for counselling and psychotherapy, this book addresses questions which are central to the debate - `Does therapy work?' and `How does it work?'. The authors draw together research from all areas of therapy to pinpoint what is common as well as what is different in various approaches, making comparisons throughout between the three major models: psychodynamic, humanistic-existential and cognitive-behavioural.

Integrative Therapy aims to cultivate a spirit of willingness amongst therapists trained in a single model to learn from their colleagues trained in others. To help practitioners put theory into practice, the book provides a framework for assessing therapeutic effectiveness and includes exercises to illustrate how this can be done. For those in training this will be stimulating reading.