This book's humble title betrays little of the riches it contains or the magnitude of its author's accomplishment in having written it. When it appeared in 1981, the first edition of Psychotherapy was on the cutting edge of a nascent trend toward eclecticism in psychotherapy. Now, thanks in part to that classic, what was once an ad hoc movement has blossomed into a dominant force in both the academic and clinical milieus.
Consistent with its predecessor, Psychotherapy, Second Edition espouses no single theoretical orientation. Neither is it a melange of concepts and techniques haphazardly slapped together from disparate schools of thought. Rather, it describes a dynamic, practical approach to the psychotherapeutic process as a whole. Based on its author's extensive review of the current literature as well as his more than half-century of clinical experience, the approach it outlines seamlessly integrates ideas common to a wide array of psychotherapeutic systems and incorporates modalities that have been shown to be effective in treating specific disorders.
While the basic approach it describes is the same as that found in the original, the Second Edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the current state of the art in psychotherapy. Among its many timely additions are chapters in which the author traces the psychotherapeutic process through its three fundamental stages: from the beginning through the terminating phases of psychotherapy. Also new to this edition are Dr. Garfield's appraisal of the latest research on critical patient and therapist variables, his exploration of recent trends in short term psychotherapy, and his review of new and emerging integrative trends in psychotherapy.
A sound, basic training manual for upper-level students, and a timely overview and refresher course for practicing clinicians, Psychotherapy, Second Edition is a valuable resource that will surely have a profound influence upon the psychotherapeutic profession for many years to come.