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The Handbook of Constructive Therapies: Innovative Approaches from Leading Practitioners. Michael F. Hoyt, Ed., San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998. 480 pages. $49.95.
It is my belief that Michael Hoyt sells The Handbook of Constructive Therapies a bit short when he describes it as a "`user's guide' providing a wide range of practical how-to-skills based on fuller recognition of the powers of language and imagination plus the principles of caring, collaboration, and respect for clients' competencies." Indeed, this is true! The book is valuable clinically. It offers many practical ideas to facilitate the practice of both beginners and more advanced therapists.
However, I found the first 174 pages (Part I, "Theoretical Perspectives") to be more than that. On a theoretical level, they represent the "spirit of cooperation" that Kenneth Gergen talks about in the Foreword. These eight chapters characterize...