Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy

Traditional encyclopaedias present information in alphabetical order and are somewhat held hostage to a static structure. A digital reference can be sorted and organised more dynamically. We take advantage of this more flexible structure by cross-referencing contributions so that readers can create their own structure, one that suits their learning needs and those of their students and trainees. For example, a reader could select “child and adolescent” entries and directly cross-reference with “behavioural or cognitive/behavioural”. In this edition all content is updated, and most content areas will be retained, focusing on major modes of psychotherapy practice and core psychotherapy processes. Outdated entries have been culled or combined with other entries in a manner that better communicates the content to present-day readers (e.g., “water-misting therapy” can be addressed in a more cohesive entry covering the use of punishment techniques more generally).

Review of the previous edition:
"The Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy is a remarkably ambitious attempt to provide a state-of-the-art edited tome of this quickly evolving and highly complex field...One of the editors, Michel Hersen, has a very long history of publishing quality and highly ambitious edited books that have often become the standard in the field...Hersen and Sledge have assembled a remarkably diverse and talented group of professionals to work with them on this ambitious project...Just about everything in the field of psychotherapy is covered in its pages, and then some...Overall, the encyclopedia is a remarkable achievement. It is a useful and mostly comprehensive resource for both professionals and others...Both professionals and non-professionals should find the book easy to read and educational. Thus, the volumes are an excellent resource for anyone interested in almost any branch or subspecialty of psychotherapy. University libraries, graduate and postgraduate training programs, and even Dr. Phil might be especially interested in having these volumes available to them...The volumes should clearly be in any professional or personal library that values psychotherapy. It is a handy book that would likely be used often by readers. It is sure to be a standard in the field."—CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY

"Psychotherapy, as a vital treatment modality in health care since at least the beginning of the 20th century, has generated as many questions as it has provided answers. Among them are "what is psychotherapy and how does it work?", "which forms or cost effective yet efficacious?", and "what is the theory (ies) behind it and what is its scientific basis?"The Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy strives to answer the aforementioned questions - and more. This two-volume reference work is intended for a multi-faceted audience. As a reference work, the encyclopedia can be used by students and professionals from the fields from counseling and clinical psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and social work. However, as an encyclopedia, the intended audience is much broader, including lay individuals seeking vetted information in this rapidly expanding and changing field...A particularly useful feature is cross-references to other encyclopedia chapters where applicable...The Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy will make a useful addition to college and medical school libraries."—E-STREAMS

"...this informative and well-organized encyclopedia "addresses over 200 topics"and presents a "compilation of both the science and art of psychotherapy."Entries describe primarily various schools or models of treatment and analysis, but also include related concepts, e.g., clarification, efficacy, post-traumatic stress disorder, transference. Most entries about therapies include a descriptive overview of the treatment, its theoretical basis, applications and exclusions with regard to population, empirical studies, case illustrations, and a summary; all entries include an outline, glossary, cross-references, and list of further readings. Used together, the table of contents and index provide good access to the set. Both editors have distinguished careers in the field, Hersen in psychology at Pacific University and Sledge in psychiatry at Yale University's School of Medicine. The assoicate editors and advisory board members are also well qualified. Excellent for professionals and a good introduction for students beginning research; highly recommended for libraries supporting counseling or clinical psychology."—CHOICE

"These two volumes present an enormous amount of theory, practice, research, and training in a diverse, interesting, and controversial field...The result is commendable...This is a good buy..."—LIBRARY JOURNAL