Principles-based Counselling and Psychotherapy: A Method of Levels approach

We are going to suggest throughout this book that there are a small number of fundamental principles that are important to therapeutic effectiveness. All effective therapists incorporate these principles to some extent even though they may not be fully aware of them. We think therapists will be able to be much more effective and more efficient by increasing their awareness of these principles. Ironically, by shifting the focus from practices to general principles, therapists will have more options about the techniques they use. Rather than being tied to certain protocols, therapists can use their creativity and professional judgement to discover their own means of applying the principles that matter. Most importantly, this flexibility will make it easier to ensure that what you do therapeutically is more likely to fit with the range of needs that different clients have. A more direct focus on fundamental principles of effective counselling and psychotherapy may, therefore, enhance progress for both research and practice. The evidence currently provides fairly clear information about what methods are likely to be most helpful to the greatest number of people but we still cannot say with a great deal of confidence why these methods work when they do, and also why they are sometimes ineffective. Emphasising general principles that are linked congruently by a robust theory, rather than specific practices, could facilitate an unprecedented level of understanding and expertise.