Abstract

"This wonderful volume, The Essence of Psychotherapy is... a thoughtful, engaging and incisive book about intermittent psychotherapy over the life cycle... a collection of interesting cases of time-sensitive therapy... I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in psychotherapy, from the newest graduate student to the most experienced clinician." --SIMON H BUDMAN, Ph.D., President, Innovative Training Systems, Inc.; Faculty, Harvard Medical School "For those psychotherapists who cannot see a positive future for their art in the age of managed care and evidence-based practice, I would prescribe a simple tonic: read this book." --STEVEN C. HAYES, Ph.D., Foundation Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno The Essence of Psychotherapy traces the common thread in all approaches to psychotherapy--behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, strategic, and humanistic--and defines their "essence" as a set of fundamental principles and ultimate objectives that must be preserved in the face of increased standardization in the field. While protocols and manuals guide today's therapist, psychotherapy, in practice, remains an art. Nicholas and Janet Cummings have gathered case studies of master therapists to illustrate the essential process of successful therapy and to show that, as an art, it is both teachable and verifiable.