ABSTRACT
This chapter is an introduction to the contents of the book, and introduces the idea of expectation as being central to effectiveness in doing psychotherapy. In essence this works like the placebo effect in that the therapist’s belief that what occurs in the session will be of realistic benefit to the client is conveyed to the client in a congruent and believable manner. Expectation is also the basis of brief therapy. An important distinction is made between disease/curing and illness/healing.
The author’s simple model of therapy is presented: a client comes to therapy because s/he is stuck with only one response or emotional reaction to events in life. Thus, the therapist’s role is to guide the client into discovering many other realistic ways of responding. The role of the therapeutic alliance is discussed as is an approach to psychotherapy via chatting. A discussion of the 50-minute hour case is illustrative. There is an introduction to two brief therapy approaches: the Miracle Question and ambiguous function assignments. This chapter serves as an introduction to the rest of the book where many other approaches are illustrated via case studies.
