Sections
Brief Psychotherapies: Introduction | Brief Therapy: A Short Background | Current Models of Brief Psychotherapy | Differences and Similarities Among the Brief Therapies | Research Pertaining to Brief Therapy and Its Effectiveness | Conclusion | Key Points | Suggested Readings | Online Resources | References
Excerpt
Brief therapy is
a generic term referring to a class of psychotherapies that seek
to accelerate change through the active, focused interventions of
therapists and enhanced patient involvement in treatment. In the
past several decades, various brief approaches to therapy have evolved,
ranging from single-session treatments and strategic interventions of
several sessions to short-term psychodynamic modalities that frequently
exceed 20 sessions. At the same time, a wealth of outcome studies
have informed the practice of brief therapy by identifying patients
and presenting concerns likely to benefit from these approaches.
The overarching message from this research is that the value of
short-term work is significant but also highly dependent on the characteristics
of patients and their therapists.