Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice

Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice offers readers an outstanding compendium of the latest research and practice techniques in this important field. In addition to the editors' comprehensive overview of the history, defining characteristics, and evolution of humanistic psychotherapies, leading experts illustrate significant research results in the last decades and document the effectiveness of major humanistic therapeutic approaches, including client-centered, Gestalt, existential, and experiential. The research presented shows these approaches to be equivalent and, in many cases, superior to others in treating a wide range of psychopathology. Contributors also offer guidelines for practice and introduce innovative and sophisticated methods for working with an increasingly difficult, diverse, and complex range of individuals, couples, families, and groups. Of particular interest are chapters focusing on empirical evidence from humanistic psychotherapeutic practice that demonstrate the importance of the psychotherapeutic relationship and therapist empathy in effecting successful client outcome. Also stressed is the effectiveness of humanistic psychotherapies in establishing methods for working with client emotion and enabling patients with severe disabilities such as schizophrenia to progress in their development and functioning. This handbook will be an invaluable resource for not only teachers and students but also practitioners and researchers.