Description
EMOTION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY draws from the literature of both clinical and experimental psychology to provide a critical review of theory and research on the role of emotion in the process of change. Providing a general theoretical framework for understanding the impact of affect in therapy, this unique volume describes specific change events in which emotions enhance the achievement of therapeutic goals. Case examples and extensive transcripts vividly portray a variety of affective modes–such as completing emotional expression, accessing previously unacknowledged feelings, and restructuring emotions–and illustrate in clear, practical terms how certain processes apply to particular patient problems. Moving beyond the standard approaches to therapy, this volume offers an integrated approach that carefully consider’s the client’s state in the session that must be amenable to intervention as well as any given intervention and its resulting changes.
Its attention to both the theoretical and practical considerations of implementing a balanced psychotherapeutic approach–combining behavioral, cognitive, and affective modes–makes this an invaluable volume for practitioners and researchers of all orientations. The book will be of particular interest to clinicians seeking integrative approaches to psychotherapy, and to academic psychologists concerned with expanding the paradigm of cognitive psychology.