Perspectives on Psychotherapy series – serie

The central question that Seu and Heenan have posed to contributors to this book is to explore critically how their feminist beliefs, understandings and commitments inform their work as psychotherapeutic practitioners and researchers. What we are offered is a multiplicity of feminist and psychotherapeutic narratives... The book raises a very serious issue about the nature of the feminist project within psychotherapy... The editors and contributors have created a brave book which articulates the dilemmas of feminist thought and practice within the contexts of therapeutic engagement' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

Challenging the notion that one model of therapy or one model of feminism can be privileged above others, this volume reflects on the complexities and multiple dimensions of theory and practice in contemporary feminist psychotherapies.

Practitioners and researchers representing a broad cross-section of viewpoints critically consider their feminist therapeutic frameworks to address from within the practice the ways in which feminist therapy has set gender above and beyond other social inequalities. Drawing on case material from clinical practice, as well as research on feminism and psychotherapy, the authors demonstrate how the tensions inherent in different therapeutic models and feminist beliefs both question and reinforce popular notions of `gender' and `woman'.

`This book issues a challenge to anyone in the field of psychotherapy who is resigned to seeing psychotherapy as solely a service activity or an art or craft. Instead, Langs invites us to see that psychotherapy, clinical technique and practice may have intricate and fundamental conditions to the scientific laws of nature and the universe. This work will also be of value to those psychotherapists who are interested in asking research questions about the process and technique of psychotherapy. It is also a refreshing read in a postmodern era where the pursuit of validity and fundamental laws seems to have gone out of fashion' - New Therapist

`This book issues a challenge to anyone in the field of psychotherapy who is resigned to seeing psychotherapy as solely a service activity or an art or craft. Instead, Langs invites us to see that psychotherapy, clinical technique and practice may have intricate and fundamental conditions to the scientific laws of nature and the universe. This work will also be of value to those psychotherapists who are interested in asking research questions about the process and technique of psychotherapy. It is also a refreshing read in a postmodern era where the pursuit of validity and fundamental laws seems to have gone out of fashion' - New Therapist

`This is one of the most comprehensive books that I have read that addresses the relationship between therapies, the social and the political. Comprehensive in the sense that it covers many areas in short but succinct chapters which focus on particular relationships in the field. It is, in some way, a textbook, rather than a monograph and I would imagine that students of the field would find it a useful source of reference that they would return to time and again' - Psychotherapy & Politics

`SAGE's invariably stimulating book series 'Perspectives in Psychotherapy', edited by Colin Feltham, is certainly fortunate to be graced by the latest addition from Nick Totton, who offers us a tour de force of the diverse and manifold ways in which therapy and politics interpenetrate and inform each other' - Richard House, Self & Society

`This is a truly outstanding book. In a world riven with anger, hatred, fear and aggression it provides a window of rationality, inspired by intelligence, understanding and humanistic principles' - The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling & Psychotherapy

`This stimulating addition to SAGE's catalogues aims to give the practising counsellor/therapist a multi-dimensional overview of the various ways in which the political and psychotherapeutic worlds interface' - Association for University and College Counselling Newsletter

This stimulating book explores the long-standing relationship between psychotherapy and politics and argues that from the beginning psychotherapy has had a political face.

Documenting instances where ideas from psychotherapy have been incorporated into the political agenda, the book demonstrates the practical value of psychotherapy as an instigator of social and political change. Related to this, attempts to understand and evaluate political life through the application of psychotherapeutic concepts are examined.

The author poses a number of key questions, including: What is human nature? Are aggression and violence innate in us? Is the therapeutic relationship inherently unequal? And, is the political an appropriate topic for therapy and counselling?

`This is one of the most comprehensive books that I have read that addresses the relationship between therapies, the social and the political. Comprehensive in the sense that it covers many areas in short but succinct chapters which focus on particular relationships in the field. It is, in some way, a textbook, rather than a monograph and I would imagine that students of the field would find it a useful source of reference that they would return to time and again' - Psychotherapy & Politics

`SAGE's invariably stimulating book series 'Perspectives in Psychotherapy', edited by Colin Feltham, is certainly fortunate to be graced by the latest addition from Nick Totton, who offers us a tour de force of the diverse and manifold ways in which therapy and politics interpenetrate and inform each other' - Richard House, Self & Society

`This is a truly outstanding book. In a world riven with anger, hatred, fear and aggression it provides a window of rationality, inspired by intelligence, understanding and humanistic principles' - The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling & Psychotherapy

`This stimulating addition to SAGE's catalogues aims to give the practising counsellor/therapist a multi-dimensional overview of the various ways in which the political and psychotherapeutic worlds interface' - Association for University and College Counselling Newsletter

This stimulating book explores the long-standing relationship between psychotherapy and politics and argues that from the beginning psychotherapy has had a political face.

Documenting instances where ideas from psychotherapy have been incorporated into the political agenda, the book demonstrates the practical value of psychotherapy as an instigator of social and political change. Related to this, attempts to understand and evaluate political life through the application of psychotherapeutic concepts are examined.

The author poses a number of key questions, including: What is human nature? Are aggression and violence innate in us? Is the therapeutic relationship inherently unequal? And, is the political an appropriate topic for therapy and counselling?

`There have been many books written about counselling with respect to class, politics, gender, culture and similar issues but, as far as I am aware , this is the first major work to be presented in this country about working with a client's spirituality and the importance this may have.... Is a must for trainees in the field and for those who feel a client's spirituality is an irrelevance'- Cahoots

`This is a textbook covering all aspects of this subject, eg there is a chapter on "why therapists need training in dealing with spiritual issues" and another on "the meeting place and the differences between spiritual direction and therapy". I recommend this book to practitioners in this field' - Retreats

This thoughtful and intelligent book encourages psychotherapists and counsellors to consider seriously the relationship between spiritual experiences and therapeutic practice. It proposes that therapy itself can be seen as a spiritual process and discusses the implications of this view for therapists, clients and the wider world.

Examining the relationship between spirituality and the main schools of therapy, William West distinguishes clearly between spiritual direction and specific therapies. He offers practical advice to help practitioners increase their awareness of spiritual issues, and guidance on the use of spiritual interventions within therapy.

`There have been many books written about counselling with respect to class, politics, gender, culture and similar issues but, as far as I am aware , this is the first major work to be presented in this country about working with a client's spirituality and the importance this may have.... Is a must for trainees in the field and for those who feel a client's spirituality is an irrelevance'- Cahoots

`This is a textbook covering all aspects of this subject, eg there is a chapter on "why therapists need training in dealing with spiritual issues" and another on "the meeting place and the differences between spiritual direction and therapy". I recommend this book to practitioners in this field' - Retreats

This thoughtful and intelligent book encourages psychotherapists and counsellors to consider seriously the relationship between spiritual experiences and therapeutic practice. It proposes that therapy itself can be seen as a spiritual process and discusses the implications of this view for therapists, clients and the wider world.

Examining the relationship between spirituality and the main schools of therapy, William West distinguishes clearly between spiritual direction and specific therapies. He offers practical advice to help practitioners increase their awareness of spiritual issues, and guidance on the use of spiritual interventions within therapy.

`This is a very important book.... This is a book that clearly challenges those of us who subscribe to a view of the self in relationship with society to examine ourselves and our practices and respond appropriately' - Self & Society

This pioneering book demonstrates that counselling and psychotherapy cannot be separated from the social conditions and context in which practitioners and their clients operate. Until now, no single text has brought together and considered the two areas of psychotherapy and social science in conjunction.

The book opens with a discussion of the points of convergence and divergence between psychotherapy and social science. David Pilgrim then concentrates on the relationship between mental health and gender, class, race, age and professionalism, asking and examining a number of questions about each and summarizing the relevant social research. Further chapters explore the role of therapy in relation to the personal, organizational and political context of its practice. The book concludes by providing a critical analysis of the professionalization of `talking treatments' and the experience of service users.

`Erwin's argumentative skills and knowledge of the literature are remarkable and most of his original claims are persuasive....The merit of the analysis Erwin offers is to provide a well-informed and accessible account of the current state of psychotherapy, its history and its philosophical grounds' - Metapsychology Online

`For those readers who favour an empirical-scientific approach to counselling and therapy, and who view therapy, at least potentially or in principle, as an objective science, this will no doubt be a very useful and informative book... We should be grateful that Erwin has set out more fully than anyone to date the specifically philosophical case for a "science of therapy"; and those of a New Paradigm persuasion at least now know the nature of the arguments they will have to refute in order to sustain their position. I look forward with eager anticipation to their efforts, and to an emerging and fruitful engagement between philosophy and therapy - for both have a great deal to learn from each other' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

This pioneering book analyzes the interface between philosophy and psychotherapy. The first authoritative work to apply rigorous philosophical discipline to therapeutic claims and counter-claims, it will encourage psychotherapists, counsellors and applied psychologists to examine their practice and clarify their thinking.

Edward Erwin discusses some of the key philosophical issues that have a particular relevance to psychotherapeutic theory - autonomy and free choice, the nature of the self, epistemology, and values and morals - as well as examining specific interdisciplinary issues that cut across the boundaries between philosophy and psychotherapy. Finally, he looks at the `crisis' in psychotherapy today, offering a valuable philosophical insight into the debate about the proliferation and efficacy of therapeutic approaches.

`Erwin's argumentative skills and knowledge of the literature are remarkable and most of his original claims are persuasive....The merit of the analysis Erwin offers is to provide a well-informed and accessible account of the current state of psychotherapy, its history and its philosophical grounds' - Metapsychology Online

`For those readers who favour an empirical-scientific approach to counselling and therapy, and who view therapy, at least potentially or in principle, as an objective science, this will no doubt be a very useful and informative book... We should be grateful that Erwin has set out more fully than anyone to date the specifically philosophical case for a "science of therapy"; and those of a New Paradigm persuasion at least now know the nature of the arguments they will have to refute in order to sustain their position. I look forward with eager anticipation to their efforts, and to an emerging and fruitful engagement between philosophy and therapy - for both have a great deal to learn from each other' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

This pioneering book analyzes the interface between philosophy and psychotherapy. The first authoritative work to apply rigorous philosophical discipline to therapeutic claims and counter-claims, it will encourage psychotherapists, counsellors and applied psychologists to examine their practice and clarify their thinking.

Edward Erwin discusses some of the key philosophical issues that have a particular relevance to psychotherapeutic theory - autonomy and free choice, the nature of the self, epistemology, and values and morals - as well as examining specific interdisciplinary issues that cut across the boundaries between philosophy and psychotherapy. Finally, he looks at the `crisis' in psychotherapy today, offering a valuable philosophical insight into the debate about the proliferation and efficacy of therapeutic approaches.

`This is an important book which has a broader relevance to psychotherapists than its title suggests. In an academically rigorous style... and drawing on her own experience as an anthropologist and systemic (family) therapist, Inga-Britt Krause shows how ethnographic methodology (fieldwork) and its research findings can be drawn on to radically deepen our clinical insight into "difference"... Krause is both challenging and refreshing in her approach. She goes beyond asserting the need for insights to be gleaned from anthropology in cross-cultural clinical work to suggest that psychoanalysis itself could also benefit... Thinking about her book has focused my interest in the cultural dimensions of clinical work, and in the role of kinship, taboo and ritual, in the inter and intraprofessional conflicts which permeate our profession' - British Journal of Psychotherapy

This groundbreaking book demonstrates the importance of cross-cultural communication to psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and counselling. It gives an introduction to anthropological issues which are relevant to cross-cultural work, examining practical as well as conceptual aspects of culture. The book provides an overview and gives examples on which clinicians may draw to enhance their understanding of their clients, and which will help anthropologists to understand and interpret the personal circumstances of their informants.

Complex theories from ethnography and anthropology are explained and made accessible, while kinship, attachment and emotion, ritual and taboo are explored, illuminating how the cultural content of patterns of interaction and behaviour are expressed in ideas, feelings, attitudes and inclinations. Finally, it is argued that cross-cultural communication must originate in the therapist or anthropologist taking responsibility for becoming aware of his or her own assumptions as a starting point for cross-cultural work.