• Explores the basic principles of the main psychotherapies and their practice
• Looks at the individuals who contributed to the rise of psychotherapy
• Describes what can be expected from the different forms of psychotherapy and provides a balanced assessment of their effectiveness
• Provides a practical focus on what happens during psychotherapy, demystifying the process for newcomers to the subject

    
Psychotherapy and counselling are now widely available to help people overcome emotional and psychological difficulties in their lives. They involve spending time with a professional in an emotionally safe and structured relationship to explore and express the issues that cause distress and difficulty, whether long term self-doubts, relationship problems, or the impact of a trauma or crisis. As a society, we now take this focus on talking through and understanding our identity and relationships for granted, but it is hardly more than a century old. 
  
In this Very Short Introduction, Tom Burns and Eva Burns-Lundgren trace the development of psychotherapy from its origins in Freud's psychoanalysis to the range of different approaches - counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, and other time-limited therapies, mindfulness, group and family therapies, and many more. Describing the processes central to them all and highlighting their differences, they demonstrate what problems each therapy are best suited for. They explain the principles behind the most commonly available types of psychotherapies and provide examples of what patients can expect when they seek such help. They conclude by examining the practice of psychotherapy - the types of training psychotherapists have, the safeguards that exist to keep practice reliable, and how one goes about choosing a psychotherapist. 
 
  
REVIEWS:

"from my perspective as a practitioner and professor, this book contributes very well as either a refresher book for those who have been outside the field, potential career changers and for just about anyone seeking a quick guide discussing different psychotherapies. The diverse case studies presented and the varied visual aids really keep the reader engaged throughout." - Victoria Comerchero, Psychology Learning and Teaching

"This little book is remarkable given that in such a small space it manages to capture in clear, detailed, and succinct prose the essence of the psychotherapeutic traditions it describes. At the end of the book the reader will have a clearer understanding of the differences between different therapies, how they are used, and their histories. it is informative and written in easily understandable prose. this is an excellent, short, and moreover cheap introduction to the field of psychotherapy." - Psychotherapy Section Review

"a lightweight and entertaining summary" - The Psychologist, Richard Potter