Narrative and Psychotherapy

John McLeod has held appointments in universities in the UK, New Zealand and Italy, and is currently Professor of Counselling at the Institute for Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, Dublin, and Professor of Psychology, University of Oslo. He is committed to promoting the relevance of research as a means of informing therapy practice and improving the quality of services that are available to clients, and has received an award from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for his exceptional contribution to research. His writing has influenced a generation of trainees in the field of counselling, counselling psychology and psychotherapy, and his books are widely adopted on training programmes across the world.

`This is a very good book, representing a really enormous heave forward in our discussions of psychotherapy... it is crucially important to the big questions. At one point McLeod makes the point that the enormous compendium on research in psychotherapy by Bergin and Garfield (4th edition 1994) contains in its index not one reference to narrative or storytelling. I can′t believe that the same will be said of the 5th edition, now that this book has appeared′ - Self & Society`The book... ranges over wide areas and renders comprehensible large amounts of frequently complex material. Narrative is seen... as a bedrock of all counselling practice... Narrative therapy in general, and McLeod′s book in particular, are constructions whose moment has come. As so often, McLeod brings both sophistication and lightness of touch to his contribution to the counselling literature′ - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling`A densely packed book with interesting and valuable research gleaned from a wide variety of therapy approaches, Narrative and Psychotherapy furnishes the reader with a cogent historical appraisal of the way psychotherapy, culture and storytelling fit together.... John McLeod′s awareness of old and very new counselling practices, which underscore the importance of the client′s narrative within a social and cultural context, is well explored and stimulating. There is an extensive bibliography and case examples. A good reference book for counsellors and students, it provides exposure to different points of view about the relationship between narrative and psychotherapy.... The authors′ students, and clients, must be very happy that he has the interest and the capacity to tune in to others in such a fresh manner′ - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling`The "turn to meaning" in psychotherapy... is everywhere in evidence. Its most powerful manifestation in the therapeutic sphere is in the domain of narrative. We owe John McLeod an enormous debt for weaving together the disparate threads of narrative work into a splendidly illuminating tapestry. With a finely tuned sensitivity to history, culture and value, McLeod not only places this work into critical perspective, but moves discussion significantly forward. This is essential reading′ - Kenneth J Gergen`Easy yet thought-provoking reading. While highly recommended for any practicing therapist, Mcleod also provides a strong foundation for researchers seeking to explore the role of narrative in therapy and/or the connections between narrative and society. Both types of future research are necessary to satisfy two key aspects of McLeod′s agenda: creating therapists skilled in perceiving differences in story construction and performance, and using therapy `as a means of discovering the stories that enable us to connect with each other and with the traditions that make us who we are′ ′ - Discource and Society

• Psychotherapy, Culture and StorytellingHow They Fit TogetherNarrative KnowingThe Nature and Function of Storytelling in PsychotherapyNarrative in TherapyPsychodynamic ApproachesConstructivist Narrative TherapiesNarrative Therapy from a Social Constructionist PerspectiveThe Process of Narrative TherapyStrategies for the Retrieval of MeaningPostmodern Narrative TherapyA Case ExampleReinventing Therapy