The Therapeutic Relationship in Psychotherapy Practice

Yes, of course the primary answer to why therapy works is 'the relationship,' but what about the relationship? That's the harder and by far the more important and clinically compelling question, and that's exactly what Dr. Gelso answers for us in this extremely knowledgeable, readable, and eminently useful book. Integrating his theoretical perspective-a tripartite clinical model of the relationship-with multiple, experience-near clinical vignettes, Dr. Gelso offers practitioners of every variety the means to facilitate deeper, richer, and more effective therapist-client relationships. Barry A. Farber, PhD, professor, Clinical Psychology Program, Teachers College, Columbia University; author, The Psychotherapy of Carl Rogers: Cases and Commentary; Self-disclosure in Psychotherapy; editor, Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session Yes-worthwhile to publish especially given the author's great ability to write clearly and compellingly about clinical process. Its greatest competition is likely Clara Hill's book, though hers seems to be a bit less sophisticated theoretically--Barry Farber, Columbia University I would highlight that this book is a product of 30 years of stellar programmatic work, presents a transtheoretical perspective that has stood and continues to stand up well to empirical test, and provides an abundance of case material, a good portion of which is focused on long-term cases.--C. Edward Watkins, University of North Texas