Neuroscience for Counselors and Therapists: Integrating the Sciences of the Mind and Brain

by Chad Luke

The second edition of Neuroscience for Counselors and Therapists: Integrating the Sciences of the Mind and Brain presents students with an accessible, insightful discussion of the virtues and vices of integrating neuroscience into existing models of counseling practice. The text boasts an emphasis on practical application, helping readers better understand the relationship between particular theories and neuroscience, then offering guidance as to how they can incorporate this knowledge into personal practice.

The book begins with an introduction to neuroscience and a chapter dedicated to exploring the structure and function of the brain. The four major theoretical paradigms are discussed in individual chapters, integrating neuroscience into each and demonstrating this integration through a client vignette. Four prominent disorders that appear frequently in therapy are covered in a comparative, integrative way across the four treatment paradigms.

For the second edition, all references have been updated to reflect cutting-edge research within the discipline. Additionally, newly developed Cultural Considerations sections, which appear in each chapter, help students identify the challenges of integration as they relate to diverse populations and individual cultural experiences.

Neuroscience for Counselors and Therapists is an innovative yet reader-friendly text that is well suited for courses in counseling and psychotherapy.

Chad Luke is a counselor educator who teaches neuroscience for counselors, career counseling, theory, techniques, multicultural counseling, and crisis intervention at Tennessee Technological University. He is a clinical supervisor providing clinical and developmental consultation to students, graduates, and treatment programs, and a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee with 20 years of clinical and teaching experience. Luke has written and presented nationally on neuroscience, career development, group counseling, and psychological factors impacting college student development, among other subjects. He has been a director of counseling at a career counseling center and an associate dean for student success.

Genres: Psychology

326 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2019

Reviews

[Adam Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Great introduction/overview to the basics of interpersonal neurobiology, approaching it from a way that is helpful to counselors, without getting too bogged down in medical terminology.

I read this in tandem with Curt Thompson’s Anatomy of the Soul, and they went together very well.

I appreciated the vignettes that described different psychological approaches to dealing with situations with a client before and after incorporating a neurobiological perspective.

This is not a light read. It definitely reads like a textbook. The chapters on anxiety and depression were especially helpful.

Although the author does not address a Christian worldview in the book, it is easy to see how interpersonal neurobiology reflects the image of God in the human, and the truths of Romans 12:2 (being transformed by the renewing of your mind) are obviously evident.

This is the book I would recommend for anyone truly interested in learning more about the science of interpersonal neurobiology.

[Anna Wescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting way to highlight brain-based interventions for counselors. I like how it’s readable yet doesn’t shy away from more technical explanations.

[Paige Hofschire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neuroscience EATS but I mean… this is a textbook