SAGE Therapeutic Change Series – serie

From the Foreword

`It is an honour to be asked to write a foreword for this new book by Michael McMillan. I have been excited about this book ever since I read early drafts of its first two chapters some time ago at the birth of the project. At different times thereafter I have read other parts and my consistent impression has been that this is an author who has both a sophisticated academic understanding of the material and a great skill in communicating that widely. Those two qualities do not often go together!

The book is about change. After a first chapter in which the author introduces us to the person-centred concept of the person, chapter two is devoted to the change process within the client, including a very accessible description of Rogers' process model. Chapter three goes on to explore why and how change occurs in the human being, while chapter four introduces the most up-to-date person-centred theory in relation to the nature of the self concept and its changing process. Chapters five and six explore why change occurs in therapy and the conditions that facilitate that change, while chapter seven looks beyond the core conditions to focus on the particular quality of presence, begging the question as to whether this is a transpersonal/transcendental quality or an intense experiencing of the core conditions themselves.

This is an intensely modern book particularly in its postmodern emphasis. Rogers is sometimes characterised as coming from modernist times but he can also be seen as one of the early post modernists in his emphasis on process more than outcome and relationship more than personal striving. The modern nature of the book is also emphasised by a superb analysis of the relationship between focussing and person-centred therapy in Chapter five, linking also with Polanyi's notion of indwelling in this and other chapters. In suggesting that in both focussing and person-centred therapy the therapist is inviting the client to 'indwell' himself or herself, the author provides a framework for considering many modern perceptions of the approach including notions such as 'presence' and ' relational depth'. Also, the link with focussing is modern in the sense that the present World Association for the approach covers a fairly broad family including traditional person-centred therapists, experiential therapists, focussing-oriented therapists and process-guiding therapists. Important in this development is the kind of dialogue encouraged by the present book' - Dave Mearns, Strathclyde University

The belief that change occurs during the therapeutic process is central to all counselling and psychotherapy. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change examines how change can be facilitated by the counsellor offering empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence.

The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change outlines the main theoretical cornerstones of the person-centred approach and then, applying these, describes why change occurs as a result of a person-centred therapeutic encounter. The author explores the counselling relationship as an environment in which clients can open themselves up to experiences they have previously found difficult to acknowledge and to move forward.

Integral to the person-centred approach is Carl Rogers' radical view that change should be seen as an ongoing process rather than an alteration from one fixed state to another. In Rogers' view psychological health is best achieved by the person who is able to remain in a state of continual change. Such a person is open to all experiences and is therefore able to assimilate and adapt to new experiences, whether 'good' or 'bad'.

By focusing explicitly on how change is theorized and facilitated in counselling, this book goes to the heart of person-centred theory and practice, making it essential reading for trainees and practitioners alike.

From the Foreword

`It is an honour to be asked to write a foreword for this new book by Michael McMillan. I have been excited about this book ever since I read early drafts of its first two chapters some time ago at the birth of the project. At different times thereafter I have read other parts and my consistent impression has been that this is an author who has both a sophisticated academic understanding of the material and a great skill in communicating that widely. Those two qualities do not often go together!

The book is about change. After a first chapter in which the author introduces us to the person-centred concept of the person, chapter two is devoted to the change process within the client, including a very accessible description of Rogers' process model. Chapter three goes on to explore why and how change occurs in the human being, while chapter four introduces the most up-to-date person-centred theory in relation to the nature of the self concept and its changing process. Chapters five and six explore why change occurs in therapy and the conditions that facilitate that change, while chapter seven looks beyond the core conditions to focus on the particular quality of presence, begging the question as to whether this is a transpersonal/transcendental quality or an intense experiencing of the core conditions themselves.

This is an intensely modern book particularly in its postmodern emphasis. Rogers is sometimes characterised as coming from modernist times but he can also be seen as one of the early post modernists in his emphasis on process more than outcome and relationship more than personal striving. The modern nature of the book is also emphasised by a superb analysis of the relationship between focussing and person-centred therapy in Chapter five, linking also with Polanyi's notion of indwelling in this and other chapters. In suggesting that in both focussing and person-centred therapy the therapist is inviting the client to 'indwell' himself or herself, the author provides a framework for considering many modern perceptions of the approach including notions such as 'presence' and ' relational depth'. Also, the link with focussing is modern in the sense that the present World Association for the approach covers a fairly broad family including traditional person-centred therapists, experiential therapists, focussing-oriented therapists and process-guiding therapists. Important in this development is the kind of dialogue encouraged by the present book' - Dave Mearns, Strathclyde University

The belief that change occurs during the therapeutic process is central to all counselling and psychotherapy. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change examines how change can be facilitated by the counsellor offering empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence.

The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change outlines the main theoretical cornerstones of the person-centred approach and then, applying these, describes why change occurs as a result of a person-centred therapeutic encounter. The author explores the counselling relationship as an environment in which clients can open themselves up to experiences they have previously found difficult to acknowledge and to move forward.

Integral to the person-centred approach is Carl Rogers' radical view that change should be seen as an ongoing process rather than an alteration from one fixed state to another. In Rogers' view psychological health is best achieved by the person who is able to remain in a state of continual change. Such a person is open to all experiences and is therefore able to assimilate and adapt to new experiences, whether 'good' or 'bad'.

By focusing explicitly on how change is theorized and facilitated in counselling, this book goes to the heart of person-centred theory and practice, making it essential reading for trainees and practitioners alike.

`It is well written and well organised and I'm sure it will be of help and interest to researchers and practitioners concerned with the therapeutic action of psychodynamic treatment' - Penelope Waite, Nurturing Potential

Change is the central purpose of all counselling and psychotherapy, but how it is conceptualized and worked with varies according to the theoretical approach being used. The Psychodynamic Approach to Therapeutic Change explores the nature of psychological change from the psychodynamic perspective and describes the process through which clients can be helped to come to terms with painful experiences and develop new ways of relating.

In the first part of the book, Rob Leiper and Michael Maltby look at therapeutic change in relation to psychological health and maturity. They explore what motivates people to change and also why resistance occurs.

The main part of the book outlines the collaborative process that clients and therapist work through to bring about change and highlights the role of the therapist in:

] creating the conditions for clients to express their thoughts, feelings and memories

] developing clients' awareness and understanding of their psychological processes, and

] providing `containment' for the client's psychological projections.

The final part of the book sets personal therapeutic change in a wider social context, linking individual change with community and organisational development.

Combining core psychodynamic concepts with contemporary thinking, The Psychodynamic Approach to Therapeutic Change provides a lively and up-to-date integration of ideas on the change process which will be of great value to trainees and practicing counsellors and psychotherapists.

Seminars by Professor Windy Dryden. See the man live and in action. To find out more and to book your place go to www.cityminds.com

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`The REBT Approach to Therapeutic Change is again an excellent introduction for trainee and practising counsellors, or anyone interested in the subject. The outline of the approach is very clear and is helped by examples in chart form' - Mark Edwards, Nurtuting Potential

`A remarkably useful book for the practitioners of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy and other kinds of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy!... Definitive and thorough going'- Albert Ellis

`Change' is at the heart of counselling and psychotherapy. Clients enter into the therapeutic process in the hope that something in themselves or their situation will be different by the end. Counsellors and Psychotherapists therefore need to understand the nature of change and how best to facilitate it. This is the subject of The Rational Emotive Behavioural Approach to Therapeutic Change.

Central to the REBT approach is the view that many of the problems people experience in life are largely determinded by irrational beliefs they hold about themselves, other people and the world. The therapist's role is therefore to help clients identify, challenge and change these unhelpful beliefs. The book describes the cognitive, emotional and behavioural techniques which clients can use to promote psychological change in themselves. It also discusses obstacles to change, which may arise at different points in the therapeutic process and provides strategies for tackling them.

Despite its centrality within counselling and psychotherapy, surprisingly little has been written on the subject of change and in a way that is accessible for trainees and practitioners. The Rational Emotive Behavioural Approach to Therapeutic Change will be welcomed both by those specializing in REBT and those trained in other approaches wanting to learn more about the change process in counselling and psychotherapy.