ABSTRACT
Within an integrative approach to psychotherapy we are interested in both a present-and a past-focused perspective on the client's presenting issues. However, given some of the literatures that we have reviewed earlier it is clear that we would place a particular emphasis on early experience as a predictor of later dysfunction. The links between past and present are generally recognized across the different modalities of psychotherapy, although the extent to which certain early issues will be worked with more directly will vary. For example, in the approach to formulation developed by the cognitive behaviour therapists (e.g. Beck, 1976) we see the importance of gaining insight into early experiences, although the decision on whether to focus on those processes and how they are approached will depend upon both the nature of the presenting issues and the type of cognitive behaviour therapy being practised. From the point of view of the integrative relational perspective being outlined in this book, we would start with the assumptions that early developmental dif®culties are important and that they will be likely to emerge in the relationship between therapist and client. An assessment of early relational issues thus provides an opportunity to think about what aspects of those experiences might be likely to emerge in the present, what forms they might take, and what treatment planning guidelines might be most useful.
