Experiential Psychotherapy with Couples: A Guide for the Creative Pragmatist

by Rob Fisher

Ever read a book or attended a workshop and thought that the ideas were great, but then were lost when you tried to apply them yourself? This phenomenon seems to be particularly common in the field of psychotherapy. The charisma when the words sound convincing and the teacher teaches well, but the concepts disintegrate in practice. Well, now Rob Fisher steps forward with a new book entitled Experiential Psychotherapy with A Guide for the Creative Pragmatist, in which he not only describes the approach, he explains step by step how to put it into action. Depth and brevity are the two guideposts of the writing, and ample case material and innovative exercises clarify the experiential techniques presented as well as their underlying principles. Fisher’s approach helps to move clients (and therapists) from insight to impact as it uncovers opportunities to access and then shift the couple’s negative interactive impulses – by engaging them thoughtfully rather than denying their purpose -- toward creating a more satisfying and balanced relationship. For therapists of any discipline, this book offers practical ways both to understand and to intervene with couples across several dimensions simultaneously. Since issues exist on many levels, so too should therapy if it is to be truly effective and enduring. Rob Fisher’s goal? For readers not only to find the book "interesting," but for them to be able to customize and employ what they learn within their own clinical practice.

Genres: Psychology

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly rich collection of transtheoretical knowledge and praxis for work with couples. Felt quite long and repetitive but in that respect it helped me commit the core concepts to memory.

Notable gems include the author’s listing and breakdown of personality styles(complexes) and interpersonal combinations through a psychodynamic lens, and his assortment of sample case study conceptualizations and treatment planning using integration of experiential therapies with a variety of other couple-focused modalities.

If I could summarize the shape of the experiential approach the author espouses (over and over and over again throughout the book), it would be something along the lines of:
1. Elicit the client(s)’s defense/resistance
2. Support the defense/resistance (either with or without the partner’s help)
3. Deepen awareness of the client’s alternative response(s)/need(s) underneath the defense
4. Integrate the new awareness to support the couple creating change

[Derek Pyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consulted it after talking with a hakomi theory practitioner about "character strategies." He said this was the best book detailing character strategies, which are ways people deal with life. For example, a kid who gets no attention at home may act out at school to get attention. This works, it is an effective strategy to fulfill a legitimate need: attention. However we can become stuck in this strategy, and it becomes a part of our character. Then it can become constricting, and do damage because, say, constantly seeking attention we become selfish. Time to change some things...
Character strategies are similar to "personality disorders" but are not as severe, ingrained or destructive. Rather than shun awful neuroses, the hakomi approach works to affirm the effectiveness and reasons why we apply/develop character strategies. There are very interesting somatic approaches too--This is couples therapy manual, so say, husband stores tension in shoulders, then therapist gets wife to hold up the shoulders for the husband. He no longer has to hold this stress and can relax while still having the defense/support his tight shoulders off him. Go on from there...