Customer Reviews

Quality of Life Therapy: Applying a Life Satisfaction Approach to Positive Psychology and Cognitive Therapy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a must read book for psychologists who want to integrate psychotherapy, positive psychology, and quality of life research and practice. Although related to traditional psychotherapy approaches, Frisch's QOL therapy makes psychology and QOL relevant to ALL people. This groundbreaking book provides psychologists and related human service providers with a conceptual framework and concrete tools to help all people who desire to enhance the quality of their lives. Grounded in basic psychological and QOL science, the approach extends far beyond existing approaches to life enhancement by providing a broader, but more nuanced multi-domain perspective (e.g., spiritual, work, play, neighborhood, self domains). In this manner, Frisch provides helpers with a more differentiated assessment and intervention approach to improving lives.

This is not a self-help book. It is not even a psychology book. It is a clinical guide for institutions. Most of the philosophy of this book consists of trite one-liners. It isn't very practical except in a very controlled environment, where the client has alot of time to waste, such as prisons or hospitals, and where the client has absolutely no direction in life whatsoever. For current happiness research that is simple, practical, and enlightening, try reading the paper THE BENEFITS OF FREQUENT POSITIVE AFFECT: DOES HAPPINESS LEAD TO SUCCESS by Sonja Lyubomirsky. For a simple, practical, and a quick fix, I would recommend RATIONAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY by Maxie Maultsby.

Dr. Frisch writes in an accessible manner that will benefit everyone looking for a practical guide to positive psychology principles. In addition to being a great book for readers pursuing self-improvement, I believe that this manual will be useful to psychotherapists serving a wide spectrum of patient populations. I challenge the previous reviewer to provide concrete evidence that Quality of Life Therapy is limited in its applicability. I can personally attest that Dr. Frisch's approach has worked successfully in diverse patient populations ranging from married seminary students to combat veterans to incarcerated juveniles to ethnic minorities in health care clinics. In fact it is the comprehensiveness and flexibility of Quality of Life Therapy that makes this book an asset to just about anyone interested in clinical psychotherapy or increased happiness. Practitioners will love the clearly explained rationale for Quality of Life Therapy assessment strategies and treatment plans. While interested consumers can begin the program on their own right away by printing off the self-explanatory handouts from the Toolbox CD. This is a fantastic investment. I highly recommend it.

This book is excellent in helping counselors and clinical psychologist adopt a positive psychology approach to counseling and psychotherapy. Instead of focusing on psychopathology, Michael Frisch does an excellent job guiding therapists to use the science of subjective well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction to help patients enhance their quality of life. The book is a masterpiece in positive psychology and quality-of-life studies. I highly recommend it.

I reviewed this book for the publisher and highly recommended that they publish it because it offers very practical help for therapists, coaches, and counselors. The book adds tools drawn largely from positive approaches to the toolbox of helping professionals. The book expands in concrete and practical ways the techniques used by helping professionals, and emphasizes positive approaches such as the assessment of strengths.
Ed Diener