Therapy: The Basics

Therapy: The Basics is an introductory book to psychotherapy and its different theoretical approaches. It attempts to demystify and de-stigmatise therapy by answering some common questions posed by prospective clients.

lykou presents an accessible overview of psychotherapy and counselling, mapping a variety of the most popular approaches from psychoanalysis and cognitive behaviour therapy to embodied and creative therapies, whilst giving an overview of the roots of psychotherapy in traditional and indigenous healing methods. The book also acknowledges criticisms of current approaches, with their neo-liberal heteronormative Eurocentric perspective, and considers where therapy stands in today’s globalised world. The book's structure allows different umbrella theories and their developments to be explored separately but also in relation to one another.

This book is essential reading for trainees, a useful reference for qualified therapists who want to deepen their knowledge, a supporting resource for prospective psychotherapy clients, and a companion for readers who simply want to expand their horizons.

sissy lykou practices privately and in community therapy projects in Athens and Dublin after almost two decades of living and working in London. She is an independent academic and is interested in the interplay between psychotherapy, the arts, and politics.