On Being A Client: Understanding The Process Of Counselling And Psychotherapy

David Howe

ISBN 10: 0803988893 / ISBN 13: 9780803988897

Published by SAGE Publications Inc, United States, Thousand Oaks, 1993

About this Item

`This book explores what clients have to say about their experience of the psychotherapeutic process. David Howe observes that, regardless of the therapists theoretical orientation, clients say similar things about their experience of being helped (and not being helped). It is the non-specifics of genuineness, a secure trusting atmosphere, empathy and warmth that offer the vehicle for encouraging a dialogue of personal intimate material, and of "making sense" and understanding when we are in pain, puzzled or worried. This is an easy and gentle read. For those interested in Attachment Theory, this would be a useful addition to their bookshelf - Clinical Psychology Forum There is a growing interest in what clients have to say about their experiences of counselling and psychotherapy. In a powerful analysis of this subject, David Howe identifies a number of clear and potent messages. He explores such questions as why clients say the things they say and why the therapeutic alliance holds out such promise, and, using the clients experience as a platform, seeks to create a general theory of counselling and psychotherapy. The author draws on a number of new and exciting ideas emerging in developmental psychology, sociology and the brain sciences to discuss the process by which the human infant becomes an individual as well as a competent social being. From the basis that the social and psychological structures which generate the clients experience underlie all psychotherapeutic encounters, the book then explores how the self forms and then re-forms in social relationships, including those established during counselling and psychotherapy. In conclusion, the reader is invited to consider a number of thought-provoking claims about the universal qualities that characterize good and bad practice in all schools of counselling, therapy and the helping process. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # GOR001299287

Bibliographic Details

• Title: On Being A Client: Understanding The Process Of Counselling And Psychotherapy
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc, United States, Thousand Oaks
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803988893
• ISBN 13: 9780803988897
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 426 grams

About this title

Synopsis

There is a growing interest on what clients have to say about their experiences in counseling and psychotherapy. Why do they say the things they say? In this powerful analysis, On Being a Client identifies a number of clear and potent messages that transcend the complexity of counseling thought and psychotherapeutic practice. Using clients′ experiences as a framework, the author creates a general theory of counseling and psychotherapy. He proposes that the social and psychological structures which generate the clients′ experiences underlie all psychotherapeutic encounters, and the self forms and reforms in social relationships--including those established in the therapeutic context. In this fascinating volume, the reader is invited to consider a number of thought-provoking claims about the universal qualities that characterize good and bad practice in all types of counseling and therapy. This distinctive and accessible analysis is invaluable reading for all counselors, therapists, and other mental health professionals, whether they be in training or already established in practice.

About the Author

David Howe is Senior Lecturer in the School of Economic and Social Studies at the University of East Anglia. His publications include The Consumers′ View of Family Therapy (1989) and, with P Sawbridge and D Hinings, Half a Million Women: Mothers Who Lose Their Children by Adoption (1992).