Depth Oriented Brief Therapy: How to Be Brief When You Were Trained to Be Deep and Vice Versa (Jossey Bass Social and Behavioral Science Series)

This is a true, full-bodied integration of constructivist cognitive work with experiential work for the practicing psychotherapist. In short, this work takes the meat from all the modern innovations in theory and practice of psychotherapy. In my opinion, the book should have been entitled "constructivist-experiential psychotherapy," as the "brief" part of the title is irrelevant to the model (except in that good and effective psychotherapy should be oriented to relieve the suffering of clients as quickly as possible); and the term "depth" brings to the theoretically sophisticated mind a brand of psychodynamic therapy, which this model is not. But it is deep in another fashion: the transcripts in this book demonstrate very powerful therapy experiences. This book is for the practicing therapist and is not essentially a theoretical tract, but in my mind, the criticism of the constructivist-narrative model as being too cognitive/linguistically based -- and the authors' supplementation of that model with one that emphasizes non-linguistic, experiental (including soma/kinesthetic, emotional, sensory, and other) elements of problem construction -- is a major innovation that allows for a huge advance in understanding and practice of therapy. The transcripts are technically clear and are excellent exemplars of what the authors are attempting to present; they are also deeply moving. Furthermore, one of the great strengths of the book is the great clarity of its organization and of the writing. I am a committed therapist of 25 years with a wide knowledge and experience of different forms and models of therapy. I am considering whether or not this is the best book of psychotherapy that I have ever read, an attribution that I, for one, do not take lightly.

This is a thoughtful and intelligent book. The premise is challenging but not unrelated to so much of the work (systems, family therapy, cognitive, body, etc.) that has gone before. The writing is not just careful...the authors seem to have a love of ideas (and people) to such an extent that credit is constantly given for the source and inspiration of each part of their argument. All this would be of little import if the book didn't chart a way through the theraputic encounter that is far reaching and provocative. I was touched by the breadth of their knowledge and the generosity of their spirit.