March/April 2017

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Editor's Note

Rich Simon

In spite of what seems to be as many different therapy methods as stars in the sky, and in spite of reams of outcome studies, no empirically studied model appears to show any real advantage over any other. Does this mean we should all pack up our framed degrees, sell our therapy books, and go into real estate? Of course not. Therapy does work—often exceptionally well—but not as routinely or predictably as we’d like. Seasoned clinicians know that practicing therapy is always more than just following the technical rules they’ve been taught. Engaging a new client is a leap into the unknown, the beginning of an exploration into uncharted human geography.

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When Helping Doesn't Help

Why Some Clients May Not Want to Change

David Burns

Rather than just commiserating with clients’ misery, most therapists want to engage in more active forms of helping. So we try to persuade clients compassionately, gently, patiently—to make use of the various tools and techniques we know will work, if only they’d just try them. For some, this results in a quick recovery. But what about the clients who seem impervious to all our heartfelt efforts? Read More
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Affair Repair

Lessons on Changing Directions

Michele Weiner-Davis

Couples therapy can be difficult and dicey, especially when there’s an affair in the mix. To keep afloat in the emotional tumult, most therapists cling to certain hard-and-fast rules that form the foundation of their work. One therapist learns some surprising lessons when she reevaluates those tenets to find out what really helps her clients heal from infidelity. Read More
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How Psychotherapy Lost Its Magick

The Art of Healing in an Age of Science

Scott Miller & Mark Hubble

Studies show more people pay for the services of advisors claiming special powers than see mental health practitioners. How can mentalists and mediums be flourishing at a time when therapists—trained and sanctioned to care for people’s emotional well-being—are struggling to inspire confidence? In an effort to improve therapists’ efficacy, two researchers find themselves on an unexpected path. Read More
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Adjusting the Unconscious

Making Quick Work of Lasting Change

Steve Andreas

Some claim that much of psychotherapy is a pseudoscience, promising far more than it can deliver, with lengthy, expensive interventions for the common problems clients present. What if we could quickly bring about lasting therapeutic change by modifying a few, simple unconscious processes? Read More

Extra Feature

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The Immigrant's Odyssey

Trauma, Loss, and the Promise of Healing

Priska Imberti

Immigration is often a trauma that leaves indelible marks on those who’ve left behind family, cultural values, and status. Perhaps more than any other client population, immigrants need a therapeutic space to understand the inner transformation their continuing journey requires. Read More

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