By Nancy Murdock

"My theory helps me calm down and sort out what initially seems chaotic. In each chapter of this book I have tried to present the various theories in a straightforward, understandable way. What distinguishes this book from others is that I immediately illustrate the application of a construct or process by showing how it relates to a client case described at the beginning of the chapter. I chose to use different client cases for each chapter for at least two reasons: First, I wanted to show that theory could apply to clients who range across the broad spectrum of individual and cultural diversity and present with many kinds of distress. Second, I did not want my readers to lose interest from reading about the same case chapter after chapter. In essence, I have tried to make this book as engaging as I possibly could without compromising the intellectual quality of the presentations. However, it is an engaging and useful exercise to apply different theories to the same case, so I would urge the users of this book to undertake this task as a way of comparing the approaches in a meaningful way. The Theories I Chose A question always arises about which theories to include in a text like this one. Some choices are obvious; others less so. I included classical psychoanalysis-even though true analysis may not be common these days-because it is the foundation of the profession and the springboard for many other systems. If you ever write something that generates as much love and hate as Freud's work did, you have really created something important. I chose other theoretical approaches based on several criteria: (a) currency-whether the theory is used by professionals in the real world; (b) potential to contribute to an understanding of the counseling process even if the reader does not adopt the theory wholesale; and (c) comprehensiveness-the extent to which the theory provides a conceptual structure as well as guidelines for counseling and associated techniques"--