Understanding Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Meg Barker - Independent Scholar, UK
- Andreas Vossler - The Open University
- Darren Langdridge - The Open University
Theories of Counseling
Understanding Counselling and Psychotherapy focuses on common problems such as anxiety and depression, exploring how different therapeutic approaches understand and work with them. Counselling and psychotherapy are considered within the wider context of their history and the mental health systems in which they are often located. In addition to this, the book introduces key aspects of the theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy, and the increasing relevance of research in this area.
• Section 1 introduces counselling and psychotherapy and the history of these professions, considering how current understandings of 'mental health problems' have been influenced by psychiatric diagnosis, biomedical approaches and psychoanalysis.
• Section 2 covers four key therapeutic approaches – humanistic, existential, cognitive–behavioural and mindfulness – exploring how they work with problems relating to fear and sadness.
• Section 3 focuses on therapeutic perspectives that specifically address problems in a wider context, such as relationships, families, cultural groups and society.
• Section 4 considers practice and research issues in counselling and psychotherapy, including the different contexts and settings in which these take place, the therapeutic relationship, and outcome and process research.
This accessible and stimulating text uses innovative activities and case illustrations to demonstrate how people experience common problems, and how counsellors and psychotherapists work with these.
A good overview that will help students clarify their own understanding of the differences between these two concepts.
No longer teaching that course
Has been adopted as a supplemental text for an introduction to counselling for 'non counsellors' undergraduate course. Provides very useful wider reading on the development of counselling and theoretical perspectives. Ideal for those who want to broaden their knowledge beyond basic counselling skills.
A very useful book giving an overview of a range of counselling and psychotherapy modalities as well as an overview of research that is very useful for the MA in Counselling Students
Good, clear and concise coverage of the subject. Informative for our BA students.
Good, clear and concise coverage of topic area. Useful for our first year students.
Different sections of the book will be useful for students at different stages of training. I think the chapters on mental health, socio-cultural issues and research are particularly valuable.
A very useful discussion of the relationship between counselling and mental health issues.
This book is different from other "handbooks". As well as presenting the different therapeutic approaches in a concise and fresh way it has nice chapters on diagnosis, medication and process and outcome research. I didnt adopt it because our trainees need something more in-depth and because the book focuses exclusively on the problems of "fear and sadness". The latter is an advantage in terms of providing a common thread throughout the book but our trainees need to consider a wider range of "problems".
Very clearly presented introduction to the major therapeutic approaches, with the addition of Mindfulness as a modality in its own right. Interesting approach to working with 'common mental health problems', conceptualising depression & anxiety as 'fear' and 'sadness' thus focussing on the client's experience rather than an externally given label. A textbook with a 'workbook' format, with many useful exercises and reflection points making it an ideal text to support learning and teaching.
Sage College Publishing
