A Philosophical Framework for Psychotherapy Integration: Psychoanalysis Meets Otherness

In this thought-provoking work, Yael Peri Herzovich and Aner Govrin challenge the long-standing rivalry between psychoanalysis and other psychotherapeutic approaches, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy. They address a fundamental question: How can we facilitate genuine dialogue between these dominant psychotherapy schools?

Drawing on philosophical concepts such as Derrida’s notion of hospitality, Hegel’s dialectics, and Gadamer’s dialogical approach, the authors provide a new philosophical framework for encountering the ＂other＂ in psychotherapy integration. This book examines the barriers to integration and explores how hospitality, dialectics, and dialogue processes can facilitate openness between schools while preserving their unique identities. Through engaging historical analysis and practical demonstrations, the authors show how opposing approaches can enrich each other, leading to more effective treatment possibilities. Offering a fresh perspective on the potential for integration and mutual influence between these two major psychotherapy schools, while honouring the unique contributions of each school, this book is essential reading for psychotherapists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, and students of mental health.

Yael Peri Herzovich, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who practices, teaches, and researches from an integrative stance in psychotherapy. She lectures and supervises in the Ogen (Anchor) Program at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo and serves as Executive Editor of Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis.

Aner Govrin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and philosopher. He is head of the doctoral track ＂Psychoanalysis and Hermeneutics＂ at Bar-Ilan University, a member of Tel-Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and editor of the Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis series. His last book ’How Philosophy Changed Psychoanalysis from Naive Realism to Postmodernism’ was published by Routledge in 2025.