Experiential Psychotherapy with Couples: A Guide for the Creative Pragmatist

Ever read a book or attended a workshop and thought that the ideas were great, but then were lost when you tried to apply them yourself? This phenomenon seems to be particularly common in the field of psychotherapy. The charisma effect: when the words sound convincing and the teacher teaches well, but the concepts disintegrate in practice.

Well, now Rob Fisher steps forward with a new book entitled Experiential Psychotherapy with Couples: A Guide for the Creative Pragmatist, in which he not only describes the approach, he explains step by step how to put it into action. Depth and brevity are the two guideposts of the writing, and ample case material and innovative exercises clarify the experiential techniques presented as well as their underlying principles. Fisher’s approach helps to move clients (and therapists) from insight to impact as it uncovers opportunities to access and then shift the couple’s negative interactive impulses – by engaging them thoughtfully rather than denying their purpose -- toward creating a more satisfying and balanced relationship.

For therapists of any discipline, this book offers practical ways both to understand and to intervene with couples across several dimensions simultaneously. Since issues exist on many levels, so too should therapy if it is to be truly effective and enduring. Rob Fisher’s goal? For readers not only to find the book "interesting," but for them to be able to customize and employ what they learn within their own clinical practice.

Filled with clear examples and exercises, this book offers practical guidelines to therapists interested in experiential orientation -- Richard C. Schwartz, Author of Internal Family Systems Therapy, and coauthor of Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods