The Change Process In Psychotherapy During Troubling Times

The Change Process in Psychotherapy During Troubling Times invites readers to consider what it is psychotherapists do that leads to change. The book highlights different theoretical approaches, questions old paradigms, and illustrates the change process when working with people facing a range of life challenges such as the survivors of childhood trauma, refugees, and people dealing with traumatic loss. Moving between consideration of micro-moments when working with individual clients and bigger questions about how to promote change in the face of current world problems, it addresses issues that touch us all. At the same time, the book acknowledges the unprecedented challenges in today's world such as the pace of change, the thousands of displaced people who seek refuge in other countries, the illness and loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the impact of climate change on lifestyles and the environment. The book presents a topical consideration of the relevance of therapeutic assumptions, theories, and practices to current global crises. With the breadth of presenting issues considered and the examples of a variety of creative approaches supporting change, the book will be useful to psychotherapists in practice and in training working in a range of settings with different populations. It will also be of interest to others working in the helping professions.

The Change Process in Psychotherapy During Troubling Times invites readers to consider what it is psychotherapists do that leads to change. The book highlights different theoretical approaches, questions old paradigms, and illustrates the change process when working with people facing a range of life challenges such as the survivors of childhood trauma, refugees, and people dealing with traumatic loss. Moving between consideration of micro-moments when working with individual clients and bigger questions about how to promote change in the face of current world problems, it addresses issues that touch us all. At the same time, the book acknowledges the unprecedented challenges in today’s world such as the pace of change, the thousands of displaced people who seek refuge in other countries, the illness and loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the impact of climate change on lifestyles and the environment. The book presents a topical consideration of the relevance of therapeutic assumptions, theories, and practices to current global crises. With the breadth of presenting issues considered and the examples of a variety of creative approaches supporting change, the book will be useful to psychotherapists in practice and in training working in a range of settings with different populations. It will also be of interest to others working in the helping professions.

and knowledge, and as a possible way to illuminate change processes in psychotherapy. Today, developmental researchers and neuroscientists increasingly locate keys to psychological health and development in the earliest interactions between mother and infant." "This book, which consists of significant papers by the BCPSG, traces the group's contributions to psychoanalytic topics of note, including; the location of the implicit, the creation of meaning, the moment-by-moment clinical process, and the subjective experience of the therapist. The book also includes new introductions to selected chapters, which provide background on the original intent and reception of each article." --Book Jacket.

"One of the most searching and thought-provoking discussions about human change processes I have read. The author writes from the perspective of a psychologist, psychotherapist, philosopher, and reseracher, but above all he writes as a perceptive and sensitive human being."--Hans Strupp, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University.

From the Foreword `It is an honour to be asked to write a foreword for this new book by Michael McMillan. I have been excited about this book ever since I read early drafts of its first two chapters some time ago at the birth of the project. At different times thereafter I have read other parts and my consistent impression has been that this is an author who has both a sophisticated academic understanding of the material and a great skill in communicating that widely. Those two qualities do not often go together! The book is about change. After a first chapter in which the author introduces us to the person-centred concept of the person, chapter two is devoted to the change process within the client, including a very accessible description of Rogers′ process model. Chapter three goes on to explore why and how change occurs in the human being, while chapter four introduces the most up-to-date person-centred theory in relation to the nature of the self concept and its changing process. Chapters five and six explore why change occurs in therapy and the conditions that facilitate that change, while chapter seven looks beyond the core conditions to focus on the particular quality of presence, begging the question as to whether this is a transpersonal/transcendental quality or an intense experiencing of the core conditions themselves. This is an intensely modern book particularly in its postmodern emphasis. Rogers is sometimes characterised as coming from modernist times but he can also be seen as one of the early post modernists in his emphasis on process more than outcome and relationship more than personal striving. The modern nature of the book is also emphasised by a superb analysis of the relationship between focussing and person-centred therapy in Chapter five, linking also with Polanyi′s notion of indwelling in this and other chapters. In suggesting that in both focussing and person-centred therapy the therapist is inviting the client to ′indwell′ himself or herself, the author provides a framework for considering many modern perceptions of the approach including notions such as ′presence′ and ′ relational depth′. Also, the link with focussing is modern in the sense that the present World Association for the approach covers a fairly broad family including traditional person-centred therapists, experiential therapists, focussing-oriented therapists and process-guiding therapists. Important in this development is the kind of dialogue encouraged by the present book′ - Dave Mearns, Strathclyde University The belief that change occurs during the therapeutic process is central to all counselling and psychotherapy. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change examines how change can be facilitated by the counsellor offering empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change outlines the main theoretical cornerstones of the person-centred approach and then, applying these, describes why change occurs as a result of a person-centred therapeutic encounter. The author explores the counselling relationship as an environment in which clients can open themselves up to experiences they have previously found difficult to acknowledge and to move forward. Integral to the person-centred approach is Carl Rogers′ radical view that change should be seen as an ongoing process rather than an alteration from one fixed state to another. In Rogers′ view psychological health is best achieved by the person who is able to remain in a state of continual change. Such a person is open to all experiences and is therefore able to assimilate and adapt to new experiences, whether ′good′ or ′bad′. By focusing explicitly on how change is theorized and facilitated in counselling, this book goes to the heart of person-centred theory and practice, making it essential reading for trainees and practitioners alike.

“This book, now in its second edition, has become a classic in clinical studies of trauma. Its informed content, deeply humane style, numerous clinical examples, flowing narrative and ethical clarity make it an essential contribution to all contemporary clinicians and psychotherapists-in-training of any approach.” Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb, Director of the Italian Gestalt Therapy Institute, Italy “This book calls us to think critically about the language we use; to regularly examine our cherished theories and ways of working; and to embrace multiple perspectives... I would recommend it to all therapists, wherever they are in their careers.” Dr Sue Wright, Integrative and Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, UK Working with traumatised clients can present challenges and complexities for therapists as they navigate what are often highly specific, deep-rooted issues. Trauma Therapy and Clinical Practice has been fully updated to reflect the changes that have impacted therapy research over the past decade and represents a major advancement in how trauma is perceived. While staying true to her premise of trauma as an embodied experience and retaining the book’s popular three-part structure, in this new edition trauma is repositioned as a social justice issue and reconsiders the emphasis on neuroscience, taking trauma theory further into a relational view. This new edition: • Thoroughly explores the role of fear, helplessness, dissociation and shame • Offers valuable insights into restoring continuity of self and of time • Contains updated, diverse references and intersectional analyses • Uses refreshed pedagogy to help deepen learning • Critically discusses concepts such as mindfulness in relation to trauma therapy. Written in her trademark accessible and personal writing style, Miriam Taylor examines the application of both neuroscience and Gestalt theory in recovery, presenting a considered theoretical basis for working with highly traumatised people. The new edition of Trauma Therapy and Clinical Practice is at the cutting edge of contemporary trauma thinking and is essential reading for trainees and practitioners in counselling and therapy.

"A courageous book for courageous therapists. This book will become a treasured companion in the search for a radically ethical practice." Donna Orange, Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center, Duquesne University, USA "[In Taylor’s hands] Trauma, a problem that in a post-pandemic world affects everyone, patients and therapists alike, becomes an opportunity to become better human beings, more able to connect with each other." Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb, Psy.D., Istituto di Gestalt HCC, Italy “A thought-provoking and scholarly study illustrated with stories, real-life examples and invitations to practices.” Kim S Golding, CBE, Clinical Psychologist and Author, UK How can therapists work with individuals affected by trauma to develop therapeutic relationships? This book explores how trauma is embedded in our fragmented world; the relational space in the therapy session; and finally, the Gestalt premise that the complex and interconnected network of relationships is greater than the sum of its parts. Moving beyond individualism, the book examines how trauma is an outcome of profound disconnection and how healing requires reconnection in equally multiple layers. Deepening Trauma Practice: •Takes a broad overview of collective and intergenerational trauma •Examines how echoes of collective trauma shape the work in the consulting room •Redefines what we understand as relational therapy •Considers the self-hood of the therapist, and takes a fresh look at the ethics of self-care as a key intervention •Argues for an ecological perspective on healing Using clinical vignettes and reflection points alongside theoretical discussion, the major themes of the book are woven together through the metaphor of the Trickster. As a companion volume to Miriam Taylor’s first book Trauma Therapy and Clinical Practice, this book is an invaluable and unique contribution for therapists and those working in the field of trauma. Miriam Taylor is a British Gestalt psychotherapist, supervisor and international trainer. With nearly 30 years’ experience of working with trauma, her work is supported by her embodied relationship with the natural world. She is on the Leadership Team of Relational Change in the UK.