ABSTRACT
There are many definitions of the term psychotherapy, each of which reflects different prejudices. The one above was chosen because it gives a fairly wide definition both of the nature of the problems and of the process within which ‘treatment’ occurs. If the definition was to be modified to reflect a more broadly based and integrated approach then two changes would be required:
1 the medical emphasis inherent in the expression ‘the treatment of’ would be replaced with a more general phrase such as ‘problem-solving in relation to’
2 the phrase ‘and his or her social system’ would be inserted after the word ‘patient’.
