ABSTRACT
With its recognition of the complexity of human beings and the need to custom tailor interventions to each individual, the integration movement and its effect upon clinical practice continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Chapter 1, “What Are Integrated and Unified Psychotherapy Approaches?” describes integrated and unified psychotherapy approaches, discusses the rationale for these frameworks as they evolve via five routes, that is, theoretical, technical eclectic, common factors, assimilative, and unified, and offers examples of integrated and unified psychotherapy approaches that characterize each of the trends or pathways. The goal of Chapter 1 is to encourage readers to expand their thoughts about the integration of diverse theoretical views, and the chapter illustrates key concepts that denote psychotherapy integration. The focus is on integrated and unified psychotherapy models that have facilitated the unity of psychotherapy and on the needs of individual patients. The integrated psychotherapy approaches included in the chapter promote flexibility among researchers, theorists, and therapists as they seek to embrace the unification of divergent viewpoints.
