This book is a good ready-to-go manual for the new or busy coach looking for new ideas or reinforcement of practice enthusiasm. Whether it lives up to its promise of providing lasting solutions is something that only time and longitudinal research studies can tell.
At a time when Complementary and Alternative Therapies have (again) been under fire from some university scientists for falsely claiming scientific status, and in an era of evidence-based psychotherapy, this book is a key text. It should have a place on all postgraduate counselling and psychotherapy courses, but I suspect it will not be so readily accommodated.
If you’re not familiar with — or even wary of — brief or time-limited approaches to counselling, this book provides a comprehensive introduction that could challenge your way of thinking. The whole theory behind brief therapy is in fact an incentive to be present, to check everything out with the client, not to let things slide, hoping that they will come up later. The time is now!
Aimed at therapists and those in “helping professions” looking at making the crossover to work in life coaching, this book puts across the essence of this relatively new profession very effectively. For those who have made the decision to move to life coaching, it will be a support and inspiration. But does life coaching really offer anything different from core counselling principles like empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard?
This book achieves what it sets out to do: “to introduce readers to the rich tapestry of existential therapeutic approaches”. I found it concise and easy to read, despite the fact that it deals with some fairly complex ideas. I found much in Mick Cooper’s book of interest and have found myself using some of the therapeutic interventions he describes, with my own clients.
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