Ambivalence in Psychotherapy Facilitating Readiness to Change

by Engle, David E.; Arkowitz, Hal

• ISBN13: 9781593852559
• ISBN10: 159385255X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-08
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Why is change often so hard to accomplish, even for people who spend considerable time, money, and effort in the attempt? How can therapy clients get unstuck and work steadily toward desired goals? This book presents an integrative model of ambivalence in psychotherapy and presents effective, practical ways to recognize and deal with it. Emphasis is given to two techniques with significant empirical support: motivational interviewing and the two-chair approach. Including in-depth case examples and transcripts, the book demonstrates how to use these interventions as stand-alone treatments or integrate them with other therapies for clients struggling with addictive behaviors, depression, anxiety, and other frequently encountered problems.

Author Biography

David E. Engle, PhD, is a therapist in private practice in Tucson, Arizona, and has been an instructor in gestalt and experiential psychotherapy for many years. Interested in both research and clinical practice, he has published numerous articles and is a coauthor of Focused Expressive Psychotherapy. Dr. Engle has been a summer faculty member at the University of Arizona's Division of Education and Professional Studies, and served for 5 years as Projects Coordinator for the Arizona Psychotherapy Project, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.

Hal Arkowitz, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and has researched and published actively in the areas of anxiety, depression, and psychotherapy. He also maintains a clinical practice. Dr. Arkowitz was Editor of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration for 10 years and has coedited two books: Comprehensive Handbook of Cognitive Therapy and Psychoanalytic and Behavior Therapy: Toward an Integration.

Table of Contents

An Overview of Resistance and Ambivalence	1	(12)
Theories of Resistance and Ambivalence	13	(39)
An Integrative Model of Resistant Ambivalence	52	(12)
Measurement and Assessment of Resistance and Ambivalence	64	(17)
An Overview of Approaches to Working with Resistant Ambivalence	81	(21)
The Two-Chair Approach	102	(15)
Part I
The Two-Chair Approach	117	(35)
Part II
Motivational Interviewing	152	(21)
Principles and Strategies
Clinical Applications of Motivational Interviewing	173	(16)
Integrating Ambivalence Work with Other Therapeutic Approaches	189	(24)
Appendix Comparison among Theories of Resistance	213	(6)
References	219	(14)
Index	233