A Primer of Brief Psychotherapy

The demand for brief treatment is growing exponentially; yet most training is associated with a particular "brand" of brief therapy. This lively and engaging guide to brief therapy distills the practical essence of various approaches into a task-oriented applied model. The primer emphasizes commonalities while outlining differences among various strategic/structural, cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches. The substantial literature justifying and explaining brief therapy practice is succinctly summarized, with attention to institutional and perceptual obstacles to brief therapy. At the heart of this book is a detailed procedural outline, with an emphasis on the first session (since many patients come for only one therapy session anyway). In addition to discussing brief group and farnily therapy, the author addresses practical issues not commonly found in the brief therapy literature, such as charting, the use of testing, multiculturalism and reconciling medical model demands (e.g., use of medication, formal diagnosis) with brief practice. The fun and inclusive style of the primer will ease anyone from the novice clinician to the most convinced proponent of long-term therapy into the "ready, fire, aim" world of brief therapy.