Psychotherapy as a post-modern art form

Abstract

As  psychotherapists, we are expected to be familiar with a range of psychotherapeutic theories and techniques. The process of blending and integrating these different approaches brings richness to our work, while at the same time risking the loss of the truly unique culture which each therapy embodies. This paper will look at how we choose, in our moment-to-moment interactions, which therapeutic techniques we use, how we bring these techniques in line with our own intuition, and how, once a particular approach has been chosen, this choice influences the course of the therapy. How does a purist approach differ from an integrated approach- what are the advantages or possible pitfalls?