This illustrated book shows how "thinking" systems offer new ways of seeing people which can help us see and do things differently. The authors describe how a theory of living human systems was developed and even recently revised. This major revision led to a theory of the person-as-a-system and its role-systems map that helps us see which system in us and in others is running the show. The authors illustrate how life force energy fuels the hierarchy of living human systems and how theory and practice with role-systems can be useful in everyday life. They begin with describing how they have used the new illustrations as a map to locate the contexts of our roles. Using this map has also enabled the authors to identify the role-systems and explore the territory of ourselves and our groups in new ways that deepened our understanding of roles and role locks. This book illustrates systems-centered therapy and training (SCT) theory by offering a practical theory to guide group psychotherapists, leaders and consultants in working with group dynamics.

Systems-centered therapy (SCT) brings an innovative approach to clinical practice. Developed by the author, SCT introduces a theory and set of methods that put systems ideas into practice. The collection of articles in this book illustrates the array of clinical applications in which SCT is now used. Each chapter introduces particular applications of SCT theory or methods with specific examples from practice that help the theory and methods come alive for the reader across a variety of clinical contexts. This book will be especially useful for therapists and clinical practitioners interested in sampling SCT, for those who learn best with clinical examples, and for anyone with a serious interest in learning the systems-centered approach.

Annotation "In this book Yvonne Agazarian traces the evolution of her ideas and their application to create a meta-theory, the theory of living human systems. Autobiography of a Theory follows Agazarian as she thinks her way through different stages, creating a theoretical background for SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction), which she developed with Anita Simon, developing a theory of the Invisible Group for the book she wrote with Richard Peters and expanding on existing group dynamics theories."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

`At the risk of being directive, I would say you should buy this book. It contains some of the most stimulating and refreshing ideas to have emerged in the person-centred literature since On Becoming a Person '- Person Centred Practice Person-Centred Therapy Today makes a timely and significant contribution to the development of one of the most popular and widely-used therapeutic approaches. `This is a book that is rooted in the origins of person-centred therapy but stands at the cutting edge of new ideas developing in this tradition. It will reinvigorate those of us already immersed in this tradition. It should convince newcomers of the vitality and potential of this approach to thera

This second edition includes material on mind, body and spirit social work, mindfulness, and enhanced content on Indigenous social work.

From the Foreword `It is an honour to be asked to write a foreword for this new book by Michael McMillan. I have been excited about this book ever since I read early drafts of its first two chapters some time ago at the birth of the project. At different times thereafter I have read other parts and my consistent impression has been that this is an author who has both a sophisticated academic understanding of the material and a great skill in communicating that widely. Those two qualities do not often go together! The book is about change. After a first chapter in which the author introduces us to the person-centred concept of the person, chapter two is devoted to the change process within the client, including a very accessible description of Rogers' process model. Chapter three goes on to explore why and how change occurs in the human being, while chapter four introduces the most up-to-date person-centred theory in relation to the nature of the self concept and its changing process. Chapters five and six explore why change occurs in therapy and the conditions that facilitate that change, while chapter seven looks beyond the core conditions to focus on the particular quality of presence, begging the question as to whether this is a transpersonal/transcendental quality or an intense experiencing of the core conditions themselves. This is an intensely modern book particularly in its postmodern emphasis. Rogers is sometimes characterised as coming from modernist times but he can also be seen as one of the early post modernists in his emphasis on process more than outcome and relationship more than personal striving. The modern nature of the book is also emphasised by a superb analysis of the relationship between focussing and person-centred therapy in Chapter five, linking also with Polanyi's notion of indwelling in this and other chapters. In suggesting that in both focussing and person-centred therapy the therapist is inviting the client to 'indwell' himself or herself, the author provides a framework for considering many modern perceptions of the approach including notions such as 'presence' and ' relational depth'. Also, the link with focussing is modern in the sense that the present World Association for the approach covers a fairly broad family including traditional person-centred therapists, experiential therapists, focussing-oriented therapists and process-guiding therapists. Important in this development is the kind of dialogue encouraged by the present book' - Dave Mearns, Strathclyde University The belief that change occurs during the therapeutic process is central to all counselling and psychotherapy. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change examines how change can be facilitated by the counsellor offering empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence. The Person-Centred Approach to Therapeutic Change outlines the main theoretical cornerstones of the person-centred approach and then, applying these, describes why change occurs as a result of a person-centred therapeutic encounter. The author explores the counselling relationship as an environment in which clients can open themselves up to experiences they have previously found difficult to acknowledge and to move forward. Integral to the person-centred approach is Carl Rogers' radical view that change should be seen as an ongoing process rather than an alteration from one fixed state to another. In Rogers' view psychological health is best achieved by the person who is able to remain in a state of continual change. Such a person is open to all experiences and is therefore able to assimilate and adapt to new experiences, whether 'good' or 'bad'. By focusing explicitly on how change is theorized and facilitated in counselling, this book goes to the heart of person-centred theory and practice, making it essential reading for trainees and practitioners alike.

Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) is an innovative approach to psychotherapy that synthesizes a finely-tuned awareness of the defensive roles of anxiety and depression, with an analysis of the phases of group development. This volume introduces the author's theory of living human systems and explicitly maps out its use in a structured treatment model applicable to work with any population. In rich conceptual detail, the volume presents SCT as a powerful modality that enables clients to safely "sit on the edge of the unknown" and transform their ways of relating to themselves and each other. It will be received with interest by all practitioners and trainees in group and individual psychotherapy.