Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice and Social Purpose

John McLeod is Professor of Counselling at the University of Abertay Dundee, having previously taught at Keele University and Wolverhampton University. He has practised in a range of counselling settings, as well as being involved in training, research and consultancy with many occupational groups, including nurses, social workers and emergency services personnel. The author of six books and more than fifty articles and chapters on various aspects of counselling and psychotherapy, he is currently editor of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research

• Part 1 What happens in therapy: the common ground1 What it’s like to be a client2 What it’s like to be a therapist3 Working together: the relationship between the client and therapist4 Therapy as a process5 The beginning6 Leaving therapyPart 2 Conceptualising the practice of therapy7 The psychodynamic tradition8 The cognitive-behavioural perspective9 Interpersonal therapies10 Person-centred, humanistic, and experiential approaches11 Transactional analysis: a comprehensive theoretical system12 Gestalt therapy13 Existential therapy14 Narrative therapy15 Working with families16 The use of art in therapy17 Therapy in nature: using the outdoor environment18 The use of technology in therapy19 Religion and spirituality20 Embodied conversations21 Integrative therapies22 Pluralistic therapy Part 3 How therapy can contribute to building a better world23 The historical context of contemporary practice24 A cultural perspective on therapy25 A social adversity perspective26 A social justice approach to therapy27 Decolonising therapy28 Racialisation and antiracism29 Supporting clients to overcome gender-based oppression30 Climate change and ecological collapsePart 4 Being a therapist31 Qualities of effective therapists32 Professional structures for supporting therapy practice33 Working within an ethical and moral framework34 Using research to inform practice 35 A life worth living: suicide and the social purpose of counselling and psychotherapy