A Primer of Brief Psychotherapy - Paperback

by John F. Cooper (Author)

This generic guide to brief treatment distills the practical essence of various approaches into a task-oriented applied model. It outlines commonalities as well as differences among various popular approaches, details procedures with an emphasis on the first session and deals not only with obstacles to brief therapy but also with such thorny issues as multiculturalism and medication.

Back Jacket

This lively and engaging guide to brief therapy distills the practical essence of various approaches into a task-oriented applied model. The primer emphasizes commonalities while outlining differences among various strategic/structural, cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches. The substantial literature justifying and explaining brief therapy practice is succinctly summarized, with attention to institutional and perceptual obstacles to brief therapy. At the heart of this book is a detailed procedural outline, with an emphasis on the first session (since many patients come for only one therapy session anyway). In addition to discussing brief group and family therapy, the author addresses practical issues not commonly found in the brief therapy literature, such as charting, the use of testing, multiculturalism, and reconciling medical model demands (e.g., use of medication, formal diagnosis) with brief practice.