Pretty much everything you wanted to know about psychotherapy, and then some. Review of Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy

Reviews the book Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy (Vols. 1 & 2) edited by Michel Hersen and William Sledge (covered in its original form in record 2002-17058-000, Vol. 1: A-H) and in (record 2002-17059-000, Vol. 2: I-Z). The editors have included over 200 topics by experts in psychotherapy (p. xvii) arranged in alphabetical order in two 900-plus page volumes. The editors have included a remarkable number of psychotherapy topics that include specific disorders and specific treatment approaches. Furthermore, the editors also include specific psychotherapy-related subfields and a number of professional issues. It is unfortunate that the editors do not include several ways for the reader to find very quickly and efficiently specific desired subject matter. Additionally, there are a few surprises in what the editors did not include: for example, there is little on the topic and controversy of empirically supported treatments and not enough attention to child- and family-related issues. Although certain disorders get their own chapter many other common disorders do not. Overall, the encyclopedia is a remarkable achievement. It is a useful and mostly comprehensive resource reads very easily with minimal jargon and obscure details. Both professionals and nonprofessionals should find the book easy to read and educational. Thus, the volumes are an excellent resource for anyone interested in almost any branch or subspecialty of psychotherapy. University libraries, graduate and postgraduate training programs might be especially interested in having these volumes available to them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved