Main description:

Transforming Themes challenges the dominant view of psychotherapy as a structured, reductionist process. Instead, it views psychotherapy as an alive, unrehearsed interaction that embraces healing when it is focused on the role of 'therapeutic themes'. These themes are the entrenched frames of references or contexts from which clients perceive their lives. In any interaction, each participant has a unique worldview. When clients come to therapy, they bring their problems in the form of a theme: 'the woman who can't forgive' or 'the child who is a terror'. Any potential statement or action performed within this theme merely strengthens the problem. Only when the theme of the therapy session has shifted can clients gain access to inner resources to shift perspectives and begin inner transformation.

Effective therapy results from moving clients into more flexible, empowering themes. These changes occur as a result of the dynamic interaction between therapist and client, which embraces improvisation, creativity, and novelty, rather than adherence to specific theories or techniques.

Using historical and modern research and colourful case studies, this work will help professionals understand how to easily adapt and apply creative and resourceful therapy interventions, no matter what therapeutic orientation they endorse. This book will enable therapists, counsellors, psychologists, and social workers to gain access to creative, effective methods which help their clients heal while increasing effectiveness and enjoyment in clinical work.

Contents:

vii Acknowledgements

ix About the author

xi Introduction

1 CHAPTER 1

Theme-oriented therapy

19 CHAPTER 2

Psychotherapy as theme creation

49 CHAPTER 3

Cocreating new themes

71 CHAPTER 4

Thematic patterns and rituals

91 CHAPTER 5

The soldier who was secretly a hippie

105 CHAPTER 6

The heart of an artist

119 CHAPTER 7

The eccentric professor

131 References

135 Index