Sanders Diana - Cognitive behaviour therapy : foundations for practice

Foundations for Practice

Frank Wills and Diana Sanders 1997, 2005

Frank Wills with Diana Sanders 2013

First edition published 1997. Reprinted 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004

Second edition published 2005. Reprinted 2008, 2009, 2011

This third edition published 2013

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012930408

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781-849205641

ISBN 9781-849205658 (pbk)

Editor: Alice Oven

Assistant editor: Kate Wharton

Production editor: Rachel Burrows

Copyeditor: Solveig Servian

Proofreader: Derek Markham

Marketing manager: Tamara Navaratnam

Cover design: Joni Strudwick

Typeset by: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd, Chennai, India

Printed by MPG Books Group, Bodmin, Cornwall

As we engaged in writing this third edition of our book first published in 1997, we have realised that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is on the march perhaps even at the double. There have been numerous new developments and changes since we both trained in CBT in the early 1990s and the pace of change shows no signs of easing. It has been challenging to write an account of the model that retains its basic integrity but also reflects developing diversity within it. We were both trainees in one of the early cohorts of the Oxford Cognitive Therapy training course a veritable engine room for CBT development in the UK. Even as we wrote the first edition of this book, Cognitive Therapy: Transforming the Image, in 1997 a major new development was evident in schema-focused therapy (SFT) and first attempts to address interpersonal and characterological issues. As we wrote the second edition in 20045, we had to think about how the transdiagnostic and metacognitive approaches and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) were to be understood and incorporated into a coherent model of practice. We were also noticing the first stirrings of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and contemplating what they had to say. Now as we come to submit this third edition in late 2011 we have seen yet more development in all these trends plus what we have called the late flowering of the new behavioural approach. It is possible to see in all this diversity parallels with trends within the historical development of other models such as psychoanalysis and humanistic therapy. One can also recognise the same potential for schism and infighting and wonder if the overall integrity of CBT can be retained. Our approach has been to keep our powder dry and not to over-react in the face of potential fracturing. We have no doubt that important points of development are raised in many of the new waves of CBT and that they can be enthusiastically embraced, but they should not be uncritically embraced. There are other motives, including academic kudos, involved in developing new products. Psychological therapy is such a fundamentally difficult activity that all of us sometimes think that if only we had one more theory or technique up our sleeves we would finally have it all sown up. We still, after 30 and 40 years of practice respectively, think this life-long learning indeed! We have been very aware that alongside the production of waves of CBT there has also been fearful consumer reactions that one will not be included in the latest thing and suddenly find oneself pass, fallen and trampled down by rush of people literally running to avoid exclusion from the hot conference workshop. This edition then focuses on retaining the integrity and parsimony of the original CBT approach whilst making appropriate assimilation from new developments from both CBT and other therapeutic models. We will return to these themes to assess how well we think we have managed this testing task in the Epilogue of this book.

A note on authorship: For this edition Diana has mainly contributed material on MBCT so that Frank has taken more responsibility for writing the rest of the book. Whilst both authors take responsibility for its overall thrust, there are inevitably small differences of emphasis at times.