ABSTRACT
We hope that the reader will be able to discern for themselves through what we have covered in this book the many challenges that face the practitioner of integrative psychotherapy. The recognition that there is no one best way forces us to hold tensions between different approaches, involves us in an enormous coverage of relevant literature and related research activity, and involves us centrally in the continuing debate about effectiveness, as well as the ways in which this is de®ned and researched. In the middle of all this we sometimes imagine how much more comforting it would be to have a single modality in which we believed with some certainty, with a boundary around the potential literature that needs to be reviewed, as well as imagining that we would then have a clearly de®ned set of interventions that could be drawn on in all circumstances ± a fantasy, of course, since the challenges that we face will also be present in other settings. For us, there is something particularly challenging in a commitment to hold tensions between what are sometimes warring factions, to tread our way through these with a clear rationale as well as with much humility, and to meet the particularities of each client and therapeutic setting in a fresh way. However, there is also the excitement of being able to explore a wide range of perspectives on what is a fascinating and elusive process of human encounter and potential growth. Our own approach emphasizes coherence of integration rather than an eclectic approach with a `pick and mix' attitude. However, unlike some of the developed integrative approaches that have become testable models, our approach recognizes the importance of the person of the therapist and the need for this person to develop their own style and coherence in their integrative approach. This is a particularly interesting challenge in the current political climate which favours a more packaged approach to treatment and to research-based activity. However,
with the change (Cooper, 2008).
