Therapy: The Basics is an introductory book to psychotherapy and its different theoretical approaches. It attempts to demystify and de-stigmatise therapy by answering some common questions posed by prospective clients.
lykou presents an accessible overview of psychotherapy and counselling, mapping a variety of the most popular approaches from psychoanalysis and cognitive behavious therapy to embodied and creative therapies, whilst giving an overview of the roots of psychotherapy in traditional and indigenous healing methods. The book also acknowledges criticisms of current approaches, with their neo-liberal heteronormative Eurocentric perspective, and considers where therapy stands in today’s globalised world. The book's structure allows different umbrella theories and their developments to be explored separately but also in relation to one another.
This book is essential reading for trainees, a useful reference for qualified therapists who want to deepen their knowledge, a supporting resource for prospective psychotherapy clients, and a companion for readers who simply want to expand their horizons.
Chapter 1: Non-Western models of psychotherapy: understanding emotional well-being in indigenous traditional healing ways
Chapter 2: Psychoanalysis and the psychodynamic umbrella: a family with many children
Chapter 3: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT): the ‘marriage’ of behaviour and cognition
Chapter 4: Humanistic psychotherapy: the third force?
Chapter 5: Beyond schoolism and towards bridges - post ‘70s approaches in psychotherapy
Chapter 6: Embodied and creative approaches: bringing the mind-body continuum and creativity back to our attention
Biography
sissy lykou practices in London privately and in community therapy projects and is interested in the interplay between psychotherapy, the arts, and politics.
'Imagine entering a new/old city – the City of Psychotherapy. Imagine seeking guidance to that City’s histories, districts, backstreets, underground connections, turf wars. . . A guide, bright-eyed, multilingual, even minded. A guide who is "of that city," with the discernment of a wolf. This guide begins not from Vienna or Zurich. She sets the City within fluid ontologies of indigenous mentalities, the beginnings of things and the continuum. She re-minds that relatedness is the essence of human nature. Here is a guide who does not bow to the icons, yet takes you, with care, through the bewildering City. The maze of psychotherapy.'
Craig San Roque, psychotherapist and author, Alice Springs, Australia
'Therapy: The Basics is an excellent resource for anyone interested in understanding more about approaches to therapy, their histories, similarities, and differences. The span of theories and their associated approaches is extensive and includes those that are not often included in volumes on psychotherapy such as body psychotherapy, eco therapy, psychodrama, and the arts therapies. However, lykou goes even further than the usual Western methods, by including information on non-Western understandings of emotional health “traditional indigenous healing practices.” Indigenous peoples from each continent are represented in this wonderfully informative chapter. Indeed, the chapter is the true gem of the book in my estimation. It contains valuable and fascinating information that hopefully fills a gap for both professionals and nonprofessionals alike. It is easy to imagine this book inspiring many readers to further exploration and greater understanding.'
Robyn Flaum Cruz, professor, Lesley University Department of Expressive Therapies, USA
'For those who are beginning their training as therapists, Therapy: The Basics offers a first broad view to different theories in psychotherapy, in an accessible language. For those who have been trained in a single theoretical perspective, it is a valuable resource to expand their conceptual referents in their work. And for those of us who have purposefully explored and learned from different approaches, this book helps us to revisit already known perspectives and to integrate new ones to enrich our training, while encouraging us to keep dialoguing, from concrete practice, with several theoretical frameworks.
I value the author's recognition that the different proposals, as well as the practice of therapy, are delimited and conditioned by the sociocultural system, the epoch, and the countries where they have been developed and validated. The inclusion of a chapter on non-Western models of psychotherapy has been an invitation and a reminder of dialogues, readings and activities waiting to be done to advance in the understanding of the cosmologies and philosophies of life of so many human groups that live in a marginalised world or in conflict with the so-called Western culture.'
Salvador Moreno López, psychotherapist and retired professor, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores in Guadalajara, México
'In this thorough undertaking to chart the history of approaches to therapy globally, sissy expertly points out connections among diverse theorists. She weaves a narrative of how therapy has arisen from the colonial anthropocentric project but with the potential to catch all its socially, politically, and relationally aware threads. In so doing, there is the potential to disrupt the perpetuation of hierarchical systems of inequalities and to transform the wellbeing agenda into one focused on interdependence, harmony and local and grass roots knowledges. This book is a must read for all aspiring and current students of therapy and all practising therapists who want to broaden and challenge the situated nature of their chosen theoretical approach.'
Gillian Proctor, PhD, lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy, University of Leeds, UK
'Therapy can be a minefield to the uninitiated, and if you really want to understand it, you probably need a hand to guide you through all the complexity. The gentle hand offered by sissy lykou in this comprehensive yet accessible text guides the reader through everything they need to know including the history and development of different approaches, their theories, practices, and terminologies. Going far beyond “the usual suspects” lykou takes a thoroughly contemporary approach by contextualising the field in the light of a cross-cultural and intersectional lens, ensuring that the rich texture of our diverse field is represented in all its facets. A must read for anyone wishing to learn more about what therapy is today.'
Aaron Balick, PhD, psychotherapist and author, UK
'sissy lykou has written a hugely informative book not just for therapists but also for clients, mapping a thorough and accessible overview of therapeutic theories and practice, their points of divergence and convergence, and that importantly acknowledges the psy-disciplines' indebtedness to indigenous wisdom traditions.'
Rebecca Esho Greenslade, (she/her), psychotherapist and founder, The Feminist Therapy Network
'This book is a must read for all aspiring and current students of therapy and all practising therapists who want to broaden and challenge the situated nature of their chosen theoretical approach.'
Dixon Chibanda, professor of psychiatry and global mental health LSHTM UK
