Handbook of Integrated Short-Term Psychotherapy

The sharp delineation of psychotherapies according to theoretical orientation has become a thing of the past, as can be clearly seen in this book by Winston and Winston, which integrates psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal therapies. The authors' clinically practical guidelines are brought to life with transcripts illustrating how such integration can be put into practice. Of particular importance is the consideration given to handling strains in the therapeutic alliance, crucial to any effective therapy. Marvin R. Goldfried, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, State University of New York Although many books may promise an integrated approach, this book truly delivers on its title. Drs. Arnold and Beverly Winston present, in lucid fashion, an approach to short-term psychotherapy that includes and integrates psychodynamics and cognitive behavioral orientations. Extensive and detailed examples of patient-therapist interactions are provided, which help make didactic points come alive. There are also chapters on transitioning from one approach to another; medication and psychotherapy; and research on brief psychotherapy. I do not know of any other book on either long-term or short-term psychotherapy that integrates all this material in as practical and useful a way. This eminently sensible book will be warmly welcomed by anyone doing psychotherapy, short-term or long-term. Morris N. Eagle, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University

This remarkable guide for conducting short-term psychotherapy details the tools and techniques of brief psychotherapy, addressing four main areas: understanding, conceptualizing, and formulating the patient's problems; setting realistic treatment goals; knowing what to say to patients; and maintaining a positive therapeutic alliance.

In the past, short-term—or brief—treatment was practiced by few clinicians, its power relatively unknown. Today, the dual pressures of managed care and patient preference make it imperative to reconsider brief treatment, which has proven to be as effective as long-term therapy for many disorders and problems.

This remarkable guide for conducting short-term psychotherapy details the tools and techniques of brief psychotherapy, addressing four main areas:

• Understanding, conceptualizing, and formulating the patient's problems—Brief psychotherapy requires a concise formulation of the patient's problems within the first hours of treatment to ensure that the therapist understands and can focus on the patient's core problems early in therapy. The authors describe a detailed method of patient assessment and case formulation as the first building block in learning the fundamentals of short-term treatment.
• Setting realistic treatment goals—Brief psychotherapy sets explicit goals from the beginning, based on a thorough evaluation that incorporates the patient's wishes, desires, and dissatisfactions and an agreement about what the work of therapy will encompass.
• Knowing what to say to patients (i.e., technique)—Brief psychotherapy requires focused, concrete techniques within clear guidelines for each stage of treatment. With numerous clinical examples, the authors define a unified treatment that emphasizes the differential use of therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal techniques, encompassing the continuum of interpretative to supportive approaches. They also offer an in-depth look into the therapeutic process: they use patient-therapist dialogues—including both patient and therapist comments and accompanying third-voice explanations—to chronicle the progress of four patients through the initial, middle, and termination phases of psychotherapy.
• Maintaining a positive therapeutic alliance—Although the quality of the therapeutic alliance is the best predictor of outcome in both traditional and brief psychotherapy, it is absolutely vital to the success of brief psychotherapy. The authors present a framework for maintaining and enhancing this alliance, including how to heal misunderstandings.

Concluding with a collaborative model and summary of the past 20 years' research on integrated treatment, this volume is more than a valuable clinical...read more...