ABSTRACT
Complementarity is the term used to describe the combination of two (or more) approaches (Goldfried, 1995b) into an integrated model aimed at giving a better service to the client. Complementarity is based on the assumption that the different approaches to psychotherapy all make unique contributions and that the combination of at least two distinct and unique approaches will produce a better product. The ®nal product then combines the strengths of both approaches which `complement' the de®cits in the other. As a result, the therapist and the client can bene®t from the strengths in both approaches. Wachtel's (1977) integration of psychoanalysis and behaviour therapy is one such example, although it is important to mention in this context Dollard and Miller's integration in the 1950s of psychoanalysis and learning theory, which was one of the earliest examples of its kind (Wampold, 2001). Some other examples of complementarity are: cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT); cognitive analytic therapy (CAT); dialectic behaviour therapy (DBT). CBT grew out of the realization that focusing on manifest behaviour change can be enhanced by changes in the client's inner belief system. CAT (Ryle, 1990) combines psychodynamic concepts for understanding the client's internal process with Kelly's personal construct theory which illuminates cognitive processes. DBT (Linehan, 1993) combines the principles of Zen acceptance and mindfulness with a focus on overt behavioural change.
