Psychotherapy Integration

In this book, the author presents and explores psychotherapy integration, its theory, history, the therapy process, primary change mechanisms, empirical basis, and future developments.

In Psychotherapy Integration, George Stricker discusses the history, theory, and practice of this approach to therapy. Although no single therapeutic model claims a majority of practitioners, the most frequently endorsed approach is integrative or eclectic therapy. This attests to the reality of modern psychotherapy practice, which is that almost every therapist uses, at least in part, psychotherapy integration.

Psychotherapy integration looks beyond the confines of single-school approaches to see what can be learned and incorporated from other perspectives. Integration involves not only taking techniques from other models and applying them in different approaches—something usually categorized as eclecticism—but also attending to the relationship between technique and theory. This brief introduction describes the full range of psychotherapy integration models, including the common factors approach, technical integration, theoretical integration, and assimilative integration, with a particular focus on the last approach.

This essential primer, amply illustrated with case examples featuring diverse clients, is perfect for graduate students studying theories of therapy and counseling as well as for seasoned practitioners interested in understanding this approach.