ABSTRACT
So how might cognitive science influence the practice of psychotherapy? As we have seen, many cognitive processes are involved in the thoughts, emotions, and conversations that emerge in psychotherapy. Information about these processes could potentially overwhelm a therapist. So how are therapists to proceed? Choose topics one at a time and integrate the lessons associated with that knowledge into practice until it becomes automatic? This is one way to proceed, but it is neither the most efficient, nor does it honor the integrity of human functioning. Although human cognition is studied componentially, we think holistically, with all of these processes operating simultaneously. Furthermore, the process of psychotherapy requires attention to entire persons. Thus, it would be more efficient to consider how the cognitive processes that we have reviewed in this book interact, and when such processes become important in the psychotherapeutic process. This chapter puts the pieces together, to enable psychotherapists to recognize the relevance of cognitive processes (and knowledge thereof) in their interactions with clients.
