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Counselling and Therapy Techniques
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Counselling and Therapy Techniques
Theory & Practice

  • Augustine Meier - Ph.D., certified clinical psychologist, professor Emeritus, Faculty of Human Sciences, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario and Founder and President of the Ottawa Institute for Obj
  • Micheline Boivin - M.A., certified clinical psychologist, Psychological Services of the Family, Youth and Children's Program at the Centre for Health and Social Services, Gatineau, Quibec


October 2010 | 192 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
This is the first book on counselling skills to look in detail at the practical interventions and tools used to establish the therapeutic relationship. Step-by-step, the text teaches the reader exactly how to use these skills with clients to address their concerns and achieve therapeutic change.

Integrative and pluralistic in approach, the text covers the key techniques from all the major therapeutic models, placing them in their historical and theoretical contexts. Techniques covered include empathic responding, experiential focusing, Gestalt, metaphors, task-directed imagery, ego state therapy, solution focused therapy, cognitive behvioral therapy, narrative therapy and self-in-relationship therapy. The book:

- presents each technique from the perspective of its underlying theory;

- gives practical instruction on how to deliver each intervention;

- provides extracts from counselling sessions to demonstrate the technique in action.

This book is crucial reading for all trainees on counselling and psychotherapy courses or preparing to use counselling techniques in a range of other professional settings. It is also helpful for professionals who wish to acquire additional skills.

Augustine Meier, certified clinical psychologist, professor Emeritus, Faculty of Human Sciences, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario and Founder and President of the Ottawa Institute for Object Relations Therapy.

Micheline Boivin, certified clinical psychologist, Psychological Services of the Family, Youth and Children's Program at the Centre for Health and Social Services, Gatineau, Québec.

 
Theoretical Bridges and the Psychotherapy Process
Introduction

 
Epistemological Foundations

 
Psychotherapeutic Content - Client Experiences

 
Encoding Experiences

 
Psychic Organisations and Processes

 
Target of Change: Behaviour or Reworking and Rebuilding Psychic Organizations

 
Phases of the Change Process and Techniques

 
Techniques and the Therapeutic Relationship

 
Therapist - Client Collaboration

 
Discriminate Use of a Technique

 
Ethical Considerations and the Use of Techniques

 
References

 
 
Empathic Responses
Introduction

 
Empathy: Origin and Definitions

 
Theoretical Aspects

 
Measuring Accurate Empathy

 
The Technique of Empathic Responding

 
Guidelines for Formulating and Communicating Empathic Responses

 
Common Problems and Empathic Inhibitors

 
Illustration: Tania

 
References

 
 
The Experiential Focusing Technique
Introduction

 
Theoretical Aspects

 
The Practice of Experiential Focusing

 
Illustration: Simone

 
References

 
 
The Gestalt Empty-Chair and Two-Chair Techniques
Introduction

 
Part 1: Personality Organization and Processes

 
Primary Motivating Factor

 
Contact and Contact Boundary

 
Stages of Personality Development

 
Subsystems of Personality

 
Processes of Personality Development

 
Organismic Self-Regulation

 
Boundary Disturbances

 
Therapeutic Goals, Role of Therapist and Techniques

 
Part 2: The Gestalt Empty-Chair Technique

 
Unfinished Business

 
The Gestalt Empty-Chair Technique in Action

 
Illustration: Robert

 
Part 3: The Gestalt Two-Chair Technique

 
Theoretical Aspects

 
Procedures Using the Gestalt Two-Chair Technique

 
Illustration: Rick

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
The Use of Metaphors in Therapy
Introduction

 
Metaphor: Definition, Structure, and Power

 
Client-Generated Metaphors

 
Types of Client-Generated Metaphors

 
Techniques to Unravel Metaphors

 
Eliciting and Exploring Client-Generated Metaphors

 
Pitfalls in Using Metaphors

 
Ethical Considerations

 
Illustration: Karen

 
References

 
 
Task-Directed Imagery
Introduction

 
Imagery in Context

 
Task-Directed Imagery

 
Illustration: Maylyn

 
References

 
 
Ego-State Therapy
Introduction

 
Ego States: Major Concepts, Development, and Activation

 
The Practice of Ego-State Therapy

 
Illustration: Sonja

 
References

 
 
Solution-Focused Therapy
Introduction

 
Theoretical Aspects

 
The Practice of Solution-Focused Therapy

 
Procedures for Doing Solution-Focused Therapy

 
Illustration: Colleen

 
References

 
 
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
Introduction

 
Part 1: Theoretical Aspects

 
Theory of Personality

 
Theory of Psychopathology

 
Part 2: Psychotherapy Procedures and Techniques

 
Goal of Therapy

 
Fundamental Clinical Processes

 
Psychotherapeutic Techniques

 
Part 3: Working with Automatic Thoughts

 
Procedures

 
Illustration: Sébastien

 
Part 4: Working with Schemas

 
Classification of Schemas

 
Schema Processes

 
Procedures

 
Illustration: Sébastien

 
References

 
 
Narrative Therapy
Introduction

 
Theoretical Influences

 
Theoretical Aspects

 
The Practice of Narrative Therapy

 
Method in Working with Narratives

 
Ethical Considerations

 
Illustration: Sonja

 
References

 
 
Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy
Introduction

 
Major Concepts and Processes

 
Therapeutic Process

 
Illustration: Sofía

 
References

 

This book has proved particularly useful for teaching skills work on integrative courses at all levels. Techniques are clearly explained and illustrated well enabling students to gain confidence in integrating theory into practice. This book in now included as recommended reading on Certificate and Foundation Degree Year 1 reading lists.

Mrs Maureen Slattery-Marsh
Counselor Education , Birmingham Adult Education Service
July 11, 2011

An excellent text providing a useful insight and examples of contempory practice applicable to a range of therapeutic applications and theoretical approaches across the field.
I hope my students will endevour to gain a constructice theoretical and fundermental appreciation of the many examples illustrated in the text.
well done

Mr Tony Ford
Division of Mental Health & Learning Disability, Northumbria University
December 16, 2010

Meier and Boivin have succeeded in providing a graduate/postgraduate level skills handbook, which will appeal to learners at higher academic levels. Particularly useful for our students are the linking of theory to practice, so that the reader is made fully cognizant of the rationale for specific techniques, rather than learning them as disembodied tools. Diagrams and case illustrations all enhance.

Mrs Valerie Sanders
Counselor Education , University of Greenwich
December 15, 2010

Not appropriate for course level

Ms Alexandra Cross
Psychology , London Metropolitan University
December 15, 2010

Comprehesive deatiling of a wide rnage of therapeutic technqiues really helpful for our BA students seeking to extend their technical repetoire for working with clients.

Mr Quentin Stimpson
Dept of Psychology & Counselling, Greenwich University
December 7, 2010

This book is well written but was not suitable for our course due to the substance of the content of the text not being at an appropriate level of complexity for our students. Our students are a mixture of 3rd year and postgraduate students studying a conversion course degree. However, the text would be well aimed at first or second year students gaining entry level to an undergraduate degree and would serve well as an introductory text. For this reason I have forwarded the details to my colleagues in the hope that they will find the text useful in the Social psychology and Health departments for their students.

Mr Gary McKenna
School of Computing, University of the West of Scotland
December 1, 2010

A useful book for students new to guidance and counselling

Ms Julie Burton
Psychology , Lincoln University
June 10, 2010
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