ABSTRACT

The assumptions and aspirations which I mean may perhaps best be illustrated by reference to the definition of psychotherapy (taken from Meltzoff and Kornreich, 1970) which has found most favour with the British Psychological Society recently. This sees psychotherapy as an:

informed and planful application of techniques derived from established psychological principles by persons qualified through training and experience to understand these principles and to apply these techniques with the intention of assisting individuals to modify those personal characteristics as feelings, values, attitudes and behaviors ••• as are judged to be maladaptive or maladjusted.