Control Therapy

DEANE H. SHAPIRO, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the University ofCalifornia, Irvine. He has served for several years as a member ofthe Clinical Faculty at Stanford University Medical School and asDean of Academic Affairs at the Pacific Graduate School ofPsychology, and he was cofounder and president of the Institute forthe Advancement of Human Behavior. He is also the author/coeditorof more than one hundred scientific and professional publications.His books include Precision Nirvana: Care and Maintenance of theMind: An Owner's Manual; Meditation: Self-Regulation Strategy andAltered States of Consciousness; and Beyond Health and Normality:Explorations of Exceptional Psychological Well-being. JOHN ASTIN, PhD, holds a doctorate in health psychology from theUniversity of California, Irvine. He is currently a research fellowat the Stanford Center for Research in "An excellent, comprehensivesurvey of the state of the art in control theory andtherapy."--Ellen McGrath, PhD, Past President, Division ofPsychotherapy, Division of Media Psychology, American PsychologicalAssociation

EXAMINING CONTROL THEORIES. A Historical and Contemporary Overview of Control Theories. A Unifying Theory of Human Control. Developing a Control Profile: Assessing the Theory. SEEKING OPTIMAL CONTROL IN MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND INTERPERSONALHEALTH. Suboptimal and Normal Control Profiles: Relationship to MentalHealth. Beyond Normal: Toward Optimal Control and PsychologicalWell-Being. Control and Physical Health: Coping, Prevention, andWellness. Control and Healthy Relationships. CONTROL AND THE THERAPEUTIC ENCOUNTER. Knowing Thyself: Therapist Control Dynamics and Orientation. Client Control Dynamics and Control Stories. Techniques for Developing Assertive/Change and Yielding/AcceptanceModes of Control. Technique Refinements for Addressing Client Resistances and OtherDifficulties in Gaining Control. An Overview of a Control-Based Approach to Clinical Treatment:Mental and Physical Health Case Studies. A Case of Couples Therapy: A Control-Based Approach. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS. Next Steps and Broader Implications. Personal Epilogue. Acknowledgments. Appendices. Bibliography. Indexes.