Principles-Based Counselling and Psychotherapy

Timothy A. Carey is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Remote Health, a joint centre of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, Australia. Tim is a clinician, researcher, and teacher and has authored over 100 publications. He has used MOL in clinical practice for more than 10 years and has conducted MOL training in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Warren Mansell is Reader in Clinical Psychology at the University of Manchester, UK and the author of over 100 publications, including, ‘A Transdiagnostic CBT Using the Method of Levels Therapy: Distinctive Series’ (Routledge, 2012), with Tim Carey and Sara J. Tai.　 He has provided workshops on Method of Levels Therapy to health professionals in the UK, Europe, and Australia. Sara J. Tai is a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester and practicing Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She works internationally as a researcher, trainer and supervisor of the Method of Levels. She has published on psychological interventions for people with long-term mental health problems and is author of ‘A Transdiagnostic CBT Using the Method of Levels Therapy: Distinctive Series’ (Routledge, 2012), with Warren Mansell and Tim Carey.

"This new book from Carey, Mansell and Tai is a refreshing reading. My enthusiasm with this new perspective is that central features of MOL approach are important bridges between several methods of therapy, from cognitive-behavior, to constructivist and process-oriented, to experiential therapies. Therapists focus in understanding clients’ meaning-making processes, center in clients’ distress (not in their symptoms), emphasize the therapeutic relationship, conceive clients as experts into their own lives, and highlight the therapeutic power of each individual session. A must read for all psychotherapists, both experienced and trainees." – Miguel M. Gonçalves, PhD, Professor, Director - Psychology Research Center (CIPsi), Vice-President - School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal"This book notes in its introduction that it hopes to intrigue, challenge and excite the reader. In a refreshing text, which slices therapeutic work in a novel direction by advocating a principles-based approach, it certainly achieved these goals for me." – Terry Hanley, Director of the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of Manchester, UK"Carey, Mansell, and Tai lay out a set of principles that will help you cut through the morass of conflicting therapeutic techniques and approaches and deliver more effective and consumer-friendly treatment." - Scott D. Miller, Ph.D., www.centerforclinicalexcellence.com"This book offers a reader-friendly, example-packed account of the Method of Levels (MOL), an innovative therapy grounded in the principles of Perceptual Control Theory (PCT). PCT holds that people control their lives by acting to match their perceptions with their goals. MOL suggests that when clients' goals conflict with each other, a path out of conflict is stepping up a level to view the conflicting goals from a broader perspective. The therapy is radically person-centered without being nondirective. It focuses on articulating clients' goals and perceptions, facilitating--but not imposing--a productive reorganization. A valuable book for clinicians seeking a fresh perspective."- William B. Stiles, Professor Emeritus, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA"Carey, Mansell, and Tai provide a compelling description and argument for principle-based counselling. They demonstrate the wisdom of focusing on principles over techniques. They explain the dynamics of change and why profound changes can occur in a just a few or even a single session. A very provocative and wise book." - Michael J. Lambert, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Susa Young Gates University Professor, Brigham Young University, USA

• A Principles-Based Approach to Therapy: The What and the Why. The Principles: Control, Conflict, and Reorganisation. The Clinical Implications: A Summary. Clarifying Roles: Both the Therapist and the Client. The Therapeutic Relationship. Putting Clients in Charge: Client-Led Appointment Scheduling. Making Therapy Sessions More Therapeutic. Treat the Distress Not the Symptoms. Therapeutic Change: Expect it at Any Time. How it All Works in Practice.