Creative Interventions in Counselling and Psychotherapy: A Pluralistic and Humanist Approach

This textbook provides a range of creative interventions underpinned by the pluralistic approach, addressing the gap in published texts on working creatively by adopting this approach in therapy. The pluralistic approach, established by Cooper and McLeod (2007, 2011), is grounded in humanistic principles, emphasises collaboration between the therapist and client and offers unique features built into the approach such as dialogical communication. The aim is to provide theoretical, pragmatic and practical guidance to therapists, trainers, supervisors, and students who wish to deliver the creative interventions provided in the text.

The case studies included in the text focus on a range of client issues by using various creative interventions, indicating how each can positively change the client’s world. Such changes range from step-by-step practical changes to a more fundamental phenomenological shift, reducing the client’s emotional and psychological distress.

Furthermore, this book differs from existing texts by providing guidance on using a range of creative interventions in online and face-to-face therapy and in clinical supervision, and by exploring group work, including therapeutic teaching contexts.

Other unique features include structured and unstructured interventions linked to a collaborative way of working with clients (a central tenet of the pluralistic approach), which help increase self-esteem, develop personal autonomy, and decrease distress.

Doreen Fleet is Chartered Psychologist and a BACP (Accred.) Psychotherapist. She began private practice as a counsellor in 2006 and was a Senior Lecturer for Staffordshire University, UK, between 2008-2020 as well as being a Senior Fellow with the Higher Education Academy. Currently she is an external PhD research supervisor with Chester University and an independent Chartered Psychologist (counselling).