Current Thinking and Research in Brief Therapy Solutions, Strategies, Narratives

In Volume 2 of Current Thinking and Research in Brief Therapy the author's consideration of Ericksonian-influenced brief therapy continues. Presently, there is a concern among those in the psychotherapy profession who worry that this area of science will become heartless. Others are equally concerned that their hearts not become science-less in the future. In this volume, the authors respect both viewpoints and attempt to weave these notions together.Throughout this book, different types of emotions in psychotherapy unfold. For instance, Harry Aponte presents a thoughtful piece on the issue of client-therapy intimacy, while Doug Flemons and Shelley Green, a married couple, share a humorous yet sensitive article on sexual concerns in couples, and finally, Daniel Handel provides a powerful story of the use of hypnosis with a dying adolescent.In addition to the emotional side of psychotherapy, the authors include the scientific aspects of psychotherapy. A discussion about various models of brief therapy is given, emphasizing that the therapeutic effects of the treatment models are attributable to "the non-treatment specifics" of the therapeutic interaction. A review of empirical data on the key elements of Ericksonian hypnosis and the social-psychological aspect of Ericksonian hypnosis are discussed as well. Finally, an important, and perhaps controversial, essay on ethics in the general non-therapeutic use of hypnosis by lawyers and its use in recovering memories is presented.

Section I. Models of Therapy. Intimacy in the Therapist-Client Relationship, Harry J. Aponte. Hanging on to Letting Go: A Relational Approach to Sex Therapy, Douglas G. Flemns and Shelley K. Green. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Treating Substance Abuse, Insoo Kim Berg and Norman Reuss. Therapy is Therapy is Therapy: Brief Clinical Sport Psychology, Janet Sasson Edgette. Section II. The Use of Hypnosis in Therapy. Hypnotherapy and the Dying: Joshua's Journey, Daniel L. Handel. Hypnotherapy with the Elderly, Frances Culbertson. Clinical Hypnosis in Cancer Management, Donald F. Lynch. Section III. Conversations. An Uncommonly Common Therapy: Focusing on What Works, Barry I. Duncan, Scott D. Miller, and Mark A. Hubble. Not All Therapies Are Created Equal, John H. Edgette . Some Therapies are More Equal Than Others, Response by the Authors. Section IV: Research. Ericksonian Hypnosis: A Review of the Empirical Data, William J. Matthews, James Conti, and Lorrie Starr. The Unresponsive Hypnotic Subject, Steven Jay Lynn, Jane Stafford, and Irving Kirsch. Alert Hypnosis: History and Applications, David M. Wark. Section V. Ethics. Ethics and Hypnosis, Alan W. Scheflin.

Matthews, William; Edgette, John