Eclecticism and integration in counselling and psychotherapy: Major themes and obstacle

Abstract

The movement to integrate the psychotherapies has experienced dramatic and unprecedented growth in the past decade. This article overviews the integration movement, beginning with a confluence of mutually reinforcing factors which have fostered its development. The three main modes of the movement - technical eclecticism, theoretical integration, and common factors - are critically reviewed. Recurrent obstacles to psychotherapy integration are then considered, including territorial interests of ‘pure systems’ therapists, the paucity of empirical research, and absence of a common language. Finally, six emerging themes that characterise eclecticism and integration are presented: complementarity; convergence; systematic practice; prescriptive matching; an empirical base; and the long view.

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