Contemporary Psychotherapies for a Diverse World

Book excerpt: This unique text is the first to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of the major theories of psychotherapy and, at the same time, illustrate how these approaches are dealing with the ever-increasing diversity of today’s clients. Frew and Spiegler have assembled the leading contemporary authorities on each theory to offer an insider's perspective that includes exposure to the style and language used by adherents of the approach, which is not available in any other text. The history of each approach and the latest, cutting-edge theory and practice are integrated with an emphasis on an awareness of the needs of diverse non-majority clients, creating a comprehensive, practical, and invaluable text for any counseling theories course. The major psychotherapeutic approaches are presented in roughly the chronological order in which they were developed, and each chapter follows the same basic format to ensure consistency throughout the text. Along with traditional theories, there are chapters on reality therapy, feminist therapy, and narrative therapy, and the chapter on ethics includes multicultural and feminist perspectives. Each chapter includes: the origin and evolution of the theory theoretical foundations and how the theory is manifested in practice an evaluation of the evidence for the theory’s success, limitations, blind spots, and challenges "The Author’s Journey," in which authors describe what lead them to adopt their approach and how their own practice has evolved over time multicultural competencies and their importance in the context of the theory. Resources are available online for instructors to supplement the material in the text and include a test bank and PowerPoint lecture slides.