Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy : An Integrative Approach

by Elsie Jones-Smith

• ISBN13: 9781412910040
• ISBN10: 1412910048
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-01
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach is a core textbook for the theories of counseling and psychotherapy course at both the undergraduate and graduate level. It offers an extensive array of theories that includes all the mainstream theories as well as such contemporary approaches as narrative, feminist, and post-modern. It offers students an integrative framework with which to assess the various theories with respect to possible clinical application. This is not a book that simply lists and describes theories; rather it will compare and contrast them, showing strengths and weaknesses, in a way to help students to apply them flexibly. The book also presents self-reflection exercises throughout to reinforce student understanding of theories and to help them understand their own cognitive and affective relationship to them. In other words, students will be challenged to understand what it is about their own personalities that will lead them to accept or reject various theoretical perspectives. Finally the book constantly shows the relationship between theory building and diversity.