Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases: Changing the Unchangeable [Hardcover]

Richard Fisch (Author), Karin Schlanger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787943649 | ISBN-13: 978-0787943646 | Publication Date: January 13, 1999 | Edition: 1

A Proven Technique Applying Brief Therapy to Difficult and Challenging Disorders

Changing the Unchangeable is a myth shattering book that reveals how short-term therapy can be used as a powerful tool for treating clients who present a range of complex psychological disorders including severe depression, delusions and paranoia, anorexia, alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and borderline personality disorder.

"Fisch and Schlanger have done an admirable job of addressing the difficult. They have done this with detailed description of cases and of step-by-step explanations for dealing with the 'unchangeable' briefly.""Filled with rich examples, this is an incisive, carefully analyzed exploration of the pioneering practices created at MRI's Brief Therapy Center."-Carlos E. Sluzki, clinical professor of psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fisch and Schlanger have done an admirable job of addressing the difficult. They have done this with detailed description of cases and step-by-step explanations for dealing with the 'unchangeable' briefly." --Paul Watzlawick, emeritus clinical professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

"Filled with rich examples, this is an incisive, carefully analyzed exploration of the pioneering practices created at MRI's Brief Therapy Center." --Carlos E. Sluzki, clinical professor of psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles

"No other book gives such detailed information for helping people who are caught in hopeless situations. Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases shows how to succeed with the tough cases even the best therapists usually give up on." --Lucy Gill, Bramson-Gill Associates

From the Inside Flap

Brief therapy has proven to be an effective form of treatment for a variety of common psychological problems including marital conflict, parenting issues, anxiety, moderate depression, and simple phobias. But can short-term therapy be a successful therapeutic technique for clinicians working with clients who present more challenging and complex problems?This hands-on guide by Richard Fisch and Karin Schlanger-pioneers in the field of brief therapy-offers behavioral health care professionals an important resource for applying the proven principles of brief therapy to a range of complex psychological problems that were once thought to be treatable only through long-term therapy or with the use of psychotropic medication. The practical techniques presented in this timely book are based on the authors' more than fifty years combined clinical experience in both private practice and at Palo Alto's acclaimed Mental Research Institute.In easy-to-understand language, Fisch and Schlanger offer the information necessary to sharpen the skills needed to learn a problem-solving, short-term approach to complex therapeutic issues. By using the method of brief therapy outlined in this book, clinicians can learn how to first focus on their clients' primary complaint and understand how and in what context the undesired behavior is performed. Once clinicians learn this powerful therapeutic technique, they can help clients eliminate any problem-maintaining behavior and avoid the trap of 'routine' prescription of medication to clients who present clinically challenging problems.Step-by-step, Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases shows how to implement a proven model of short-term therapy for treating such difficult psychological problems as severe depression, delusions and paranoia, anorexia, alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and borderline personality disorder. The authors also offer a wealth of illustrative examples and include actual transcripts from a wide va

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (January 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787943649
• ISBN-13: 978-0787943646
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases, March 15, 2001

By 

Thomas M. Dooley (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases: Changing the Unchangeable (Hardcover)

This is the second book that I have read coauthored by Richard Fisch, he also cowrote "Tactic of Change." I enjoyed the authors perspective of looking at the clients attempts to solve the problem as a focal point of change. The clients were stuck in their solutions to the problems. In these case studies, "the cure was indeed the disease." You can see Fisch's influences - Milton Erickson, Paul Watzlawick and John Weakland. The cases were indeed intimidating and all were handled in 10 sessions or less. The author's approach of illiminating what has been tried and changing the circular solutions attempted, in a paradoxical manner, is a major contribution to the field of brief therapy. This cofounder of the Mental Health Reaserch Institute is one of the inovators for an creative approach to solution and complaint based therapy. This book gives some great exampes of counterintuitive and paradoxical methods, with tips on how to facilitate the client into action. I only wish that it could have been longer then its puny 151 pages.

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy, informative read., March 10, 2011

By 

Dr Sam Restifo (Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases: Changing the Unchangeable (Hardcover)

A great introduction for those who have entertained the notion of informing themselves about paradoxical interventions in psychotherapy but, for whatever reason, not quite got there yet. The extended case histories are easy to digest and the relatively light didactic content make for breezy reading. Recommended.