PREFACE
The ninth edition of Current Psychotherapies reflects our commitmentto maintaining
the currency alluded to in the book's title, and the textin its entirety provides a com-
prehensive overview ofthe state ofthe art of psychotherapy. The book was first pub-
lished in 1973. and since thattime it has been used by more than a million students and
translated in more than a dozen languages. One reviewerrecently referred to the text as
"venerable."
New chapters on Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Multicultural Psychotherapy
have been added to the latest edition. A previous chapter on Multimodal Psychotherapy
has been eliminated to keep the book to a reasonable length; however,this chapteris
still available on the Current Psychotherapies Web site. Dr.Irvin Yalom has returned
to Current Psychotherapies and has contributed a new chapter on Existential Psycho-
therapy coauthored by Ruthellen Josselson; a previous excellent chapter on Existential
Psychotherapy, written by Ed Mendelowitz and Kirk Schneider,is still available on the
book's Web site.In addition, anyone interested can watch an interview of Dr. Raymond
J. Corsini atthis site by simply clicking on "Corsini videos."
All other chapters in the book have been updated ortotally rewritten. A new author
has been added forthe chapter on Family Therapy. All chapters have been revised to
include up-to-date references and the most current psychotherapy research available.
Each chapter describing a particular approach to psychotherapy examines the evidence
base supporting that particulartheory, and I have asked each contributorto share his or
herideas aboutthe current controversy regarding the importance@and limitations@of
evidence-based practice.In addition, all ofthe core chapters now address the very
importanttopic of multiculturalism, and I'm delighted to add a separate chapter on
Multicultural Psychotherapy to the new edition.
In a preface to an earlier edition, Raymond J. Corsini described six features of
Current Psychotherapies that have helped ensure the book's utility and popularity.
These core principles guided the development ofthe ninth edition.
1. The chapters in this book describe the mostimportant systems in the current practice
of psychotherapy. Because psychotherapy is constantly evolving, deciding whatto put
into new editions and whatto take out demands a great deal ofresearch. The opin-
ions of professors were centralin shaping the changes we have made. Before each new
edition, professors who have taughtfrom the book atleast 2 years are asked whatthey
would wantin the next edition and whatthey no longer wantin the current one. Their
diverse opinions helped us decide what changes to make.
2. The most competent available authors are recruited. Newly established systems
are described by theirfounders; older systems are covered by those best qualified to
describe them.
3. This book is highly disciplined. Each authorfollows an outline in which the various
sections are limited in length and structure. The purpose ofthis feature is to make it as con-
venient as possible to compare the systems by reading the book "horizontally" (from sec-
tion to section across the various systems), as well as in the usual "vertical" manner(from
chapterto chapter). The major sections of each chapterinclude an overview ofthe system
being described,its history, a discussion ofthe theory of personality that shaped the ther-
apy, a detailed discussion of how psychotherapy using the system is actually practiced, and
an explanation ofthe various applications ofthe approach being described.In addition,
each ofthe therapies described is accompanied by a case study illustrating the tech-
niques and methods associated with the therapy. Students interested in more detailed
case examples can read this book's companion volume, Case Studies in Psychotherapy
(Wedding & Corsini, 2011). Those students who wantto understand psychotherapy
in depth will benefitfrom reading both Current Psychotherapies and Case Studies in
Psychotherapy.
4. Current Psychotherapies is carefully edited. Every section is examined to make cer-
tain thatits contents are appropriate and clear.In the long history ofthis text, only one
chapter was ever accepted in its first draft. Some chapters have been returned to their
original authors as many as fourtimes before finally being accepted.
5. Chapters are as concise as they can possibly be and still coverthe systems completely.
We have received consistentfeedback thatthe chapters in Current Psychotherapies need
to be clear, succinct, and direct. We have taken this feedback seriously, and every sen-
tence in each new edition is carefully edited to ensure thatthe information provided is
notredundant or superfluous.
6. The glossary/or each new edition is updated and expanded. One way for students to
begin any chapter would be to read the relevant entries in the glossary,thereby generat-
ing a mind-setthat willfacilitate understanding the various systems. Personality theorists
tend to invent new words when no existing word suffices. This clarifies theirideas, but
it also makes understanding their chapter more difficult. A careful study ofthe glossary
willreward the reader.
Ray Corsini died on November 8. 2008. He was a master Adierian therapist,the
best of my teachers and a cherished friend. This edition of Current Psychotherapies is
dedicated to his memory.
Danny Wedding
dwedding@alliant. edu
CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS XI
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PREFACE XV
1 INTRODUCTION TO 21ST-CENTURY PSYCHOTHERAPIES/Frank Dumont
Evolution of This Science
The Impact of the Biological Sciences
Organicists and Dynamicists: Clashing Stand points
Cultural Factors and Psychotherapy
Negotiating Fault Lines in the EBT Terrain
Manualization of Treatment
Obstacles to a Science of Psychotherapy
Sources of Hope
Industrializing Psychotherapy
2 PSYCHOANALYSIS / Ellen B. Luborsky, Maureen O'Reilly-Landry,
and Jacob A. Arlow
Overview 14
History
Personality 29
Psychotherapy 36
Applications 48
Case Example g7
Summary 60
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 62
3 ADLERIAN PSYCHOTHERAPY/ Harold H. Mosak and Michael Maniacci 63
Overview 63
History 71
Personality 74
Psychotherapy 78
Applications 89
Case Example 95
Summary 101
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 103
4 ANALYTICAL PSYCHOTHERAPY/ Claire Douglas 104
Overview 104
History 108
Personality
Psychotherapy
Applications 122
Case Example 130
Summary 133
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 136
5 CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY / Nathaniel.J. Raskin, Carl R. Rogers,
and Mar
jorie C. Wiity 137
jorie C. Wiity 137
Overview 137
History 143
Personality 147
Psychotherapy
Applications 139
Case Example 172
Summary 179
Annotated Bibliography and Web Resources
Case Readings 180
6 RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY / Albert Ellis l8l
Overview l8l
History l86
Personality 190
Psychotherapy 196
Applications 206
Case Example 214
Summary 2l6
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 2l8
7 BEHAVIOR THERAPY/ G. Terence Wilson 219
Overview 219
History 226
Personality 229
Psychotherapy 233
Applications 242
Case Example 251
Summary 254
Annotated Bibliography 255
Case Readings 255
8 COGNITIVE THERAPY/Aaron T. Beck and Marjorie E. Weishaar 257
Overview 257
History 261
Personality 264
Psychotherapy 271
Applications 276
Case Example 282
Summary 285
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 287
9 EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY / Irvin D.Yalom and
Ruthellen Josselson 288
Overview 288
History 292
Personality 293
Psychotherapy 300
Applications 311
Case Example
Summary
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings
10 GESTALT THERAPY/ Gary Yontef and LynneJacobs 319
Overview 3I9
History 325
Personality 328
Psychotherapy 33^
Applications 343
Case Example 353
Summary 355
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 357
INTERPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY / Helen Verdeli and
Myrna M. Weissman 358
Overview 358
History 362
Personality 366
Psychotherapy 369
Applications 379
Case Example 386
Summary 388
Annotated Bibliography and Web Resources 388
Case Readings 389
12. FAMILY THERAPY/ Irene Goldenberg, Herbert Goldenberg, and
Erica Goldenberg Pelavin 390
Overview 390
History 396
Personality
Psychotherapy
Applications 4I4
Case Example 420
Summary 422
Annotated Bibliography 422
Case Readings 423
13 CONTEMPLATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPIES /Roger Walsh 424
Overview 424
History 432
XCONTENTS
Personality 435
Psychotherapy 443
Applications 451
Case Example 464
Summary 465
Annotated Bibliography
Case Readings 468
14 INTEGRATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPIES /John C. Norcross
and Larry E. Beutler 469
Overview 469
History 474
Personality 477
Psychotherapy 479
Applications 487
Case Example 493
Summary 498
Annotated Bibliography and Web Resources 499
Case Readings and Videotapes 499
15 MULTICULTURAL THEORIES OF PSYCHOTHERAPY /Lillian Comas-Diaz 501
Overview
History 508
Personality
Psychotherapy
Applications 520
Case Example 525
Summary 528
Annotated Bibliography and Web Resources 529
Case Reading 529
l6 CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES AND CONTROVERSIES/
Kenneth S. Pope and Danny Wedding 530
The Mental Health Workforce 531
Physicians, Medications, and Psychotherapy 532
Empirically Supported Therapies 534
Phones, Computers, and the Internet 537
Therapists' SexualInvolvement with Patients, Nonsexual Physical Touch,
and Sexual Feelings 542
Nonsexual Multiple Relationships and Boundary Issues 545
Accessibility and People with Disabilities 552
Detainee Interrogations 553
Cultures 557
GLOSSARY 562
REFERENCES 574
NAME INDEX 613
SUBJECT INDEX 6l6