The Integrative Power of Cognitive Therapy

"In this scholarly and clinically informed volume, we are treated to a thinking man's (and woman's) approach to cognitive therapy that is as respectful of the need for a coherent theory of human functioning as it is of clinically informed practice. Alford and Beck do not shy away from the broadly philosophical and metatheoretical concepts that undergird cognitive therapy or, for that matter, any therapy worthy of our attention. The authors convincingly demonstrate the integrative nature of cognitive therapy in a way that will be of great interest to therapists of any theoretical stripe. This very sophisticated volume is ideal for use in educating the next generation of cognitive and integrative therapists." --Stanley B. Messer, Ph.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University

"Tim Beck is to dynamic psychotherapy as Mikhail Gorbachov is to Soviet Russia: both promised reform and improvement, but effectively swept away the old order. But whereas Gorbachov did not manage to pursue a leadership role in the new Russian Federation, Tim Beck effortlessly sweeps all before him --and applies his creative intelligence to fresh problems in our subject." --Sir David Goldberg, Maudsley Hospital, London

"A broad-ranging, sophisticated, and fascinating text. The authors tackle some of the most difficult issues in cognitive therapy head on. The nature of causation in cognitive therapy, prospects and pitfalls of psychotherapy integration, the relation between conditioning and cognitive models, developments in theory and treatment of personality disorders and psychoses, and many other important topics are thoughtfully addressed. Anyone interested in cognitive therapy is likely to find this book a veritable treasure trove." --David M. Clark,
D. Phil, Professor of Psychiatry, Oxford University

"This is a very thoughtful, scholarly and comprehensive monograph which successfully integrates the past development, the present status and the future of cognitive-behavioral approaches into a single, cohesive theory of psychopathology and the psychotherapeutic process. Only the brilliant and creative innovator of cognitive and behavioral therapy, Dr. Aaron Beck, could have written this monograph with as much insight, knowledge and scholarship that has gone into this very important work. In some ways, this monograph is long overdue, since it provides a sound theoretical basis of the development of this very important empirically proven psychotherapeutic technique and extends into an understanding of all human psychopathology. It is a prodigious work, which interestingly uses two examples in the cognitive behavioral therapy, that of panic disorder and schizophrenic delusions, not as commonly identified with the cognitive behavioral approach as the depressive disorders. This book is a 'must read' for serious students, trainees, and practitioners of cognitive and behavioral therapy and I would recommend it to all who are interested in this very important psychotherapeutic approach to the management of mental disorders, which has now become standard practice in our field. Alford and Beck are to be congratulated for undertaking this intellectually challenging integrative task in the development of a comprehensive theory of psychopathology and psychotherapeutic change based upon the cognitive-behavioral model." --Lewis L. Judd, M.D., Mary Gilman Professor; Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego
- An important contribution to the ongoing dialogue concerning the search for a unifying paradigm in psychology. --Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 7/15/1998ƒƒ Newcomers to cognitive therapy should appreciate the introduction to and overview of Beck's therapy....Readers who are cognitive therapists will also enjoy the book...[as will] those seeking an introduction to the psychotherapy integration movement...The book is concise and clearly written. The authors present their arguments in a clear and well-organized manner. --Contemporary Psychology, 7/15/1998