New developments in psychotherapy research and practice over the past twenty years require a new perspective from a psychotherapy book. Until recently, approaches to clinical practices were presented as competing truths. Each one was viewed as a distinct, all-encompassing system of thought and clinical practice. Therapists were expected to decide which school they favored and then apply its treatment methods consistently to all patients. This is no longer the case.
While a growing body of empirical research supports the efficacy of treatment over no treatment, it does not endorse any one treatment as superior to all others. Moreover, most psychotherapists today acknowledge that they draw on therapeutic insights and techniques from a number of psychological schools of thought.
To guide therapists in developing their own style of effective psychotherapy, Bruce Bongar and Larry E. Beutler have assembled a work that provides an overview of the field and an understanding of the essential features of the leading schools of psychotherapy. They bring together experts who introduce the individual theories and practice techniques from these schools and guide the reader in discovering which approaches work best for which patients.