Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Making sense of people's problems

'Johnstone and Dallos' text, now in its second edition, has become a cornerstone of British clinical psychologist's thinking and training... This is an immensely useful book; practical, creative and still unique in its particular coverage of psychological models.'

- Huw Green, Clinical Psychology Forum

'It is fascinating to view the case studies through the lenses of each therapeutic approach, and the divergent ways of working that follow. Seeing how therapists from each approach would work with the two clients helped clarify the similarities and differences between models...The book is clearly structured, attractively set out and easy to read... I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the concept of formulation (which should be all of us) and in comparing and contrasting different therapeutic approaches. This also means that it is likely to be particularly helpful for integrative training courses.'

- Dr. Els van Ooijen, co-author of Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy: a relational approach, Therapy Today

'Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy... which is now in its second edition, demonstrates the process of clinical formulation from a wide variety of clinical perspectives. Similar to the first edition, Johnstone and Dallos have created an edited text that brings together numerous contributors from the mental health professions to give us different theoretical perspectives on the process of clinical formulation... Books like this one reemphasize the necessity of grounding clinical practice in clear articulations of theory and rich descriptions of clinets' lives and experiences. In this sense, those drawn to narrative and more generally qualitative understandings of human experience will apprecaite the attention to clients' life stories and ways of making meaning of the struggles they face... The second edition of Formulation in Pscyhology and Psychotherapy is a thoughtfully constructed text that will be useful for graduate students, academics, and metnal health professionals who want clear, detailed, and theoretically diverse ways of understanding the process of clinical formulation.'

- Alexandra L. Adame, Seattle University, Journal of Constructivist Psychology

Praise for the first edition:

'Essential reading for students and trainees as well as qualified professionals. It demonstrates the richness of ideas which psychologists and therapists contribute to their understanding of clients' problems as well as confronting the complex issues arising from the idea of formulation itself.'

– Mary Boyle, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, University of East London

The first edition of Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy caught the wave of growing interest in formulation in a clinical context. This completely updated and revised edition summarises recent practice, research, developments and debates while retaining the features that made the first a leading text in the field. It contains new chapters on personal construct formulation, formulation in health settings, and the innovative practice of using formulation in teams.

The book sees formulation as a dynamic process which explores personal meaning collaboratively and reflectively, taking account of relational and social contexts. Two case studies, one adult and one child, illustrate the use of formulation from the perspectives of expert clinicians from six different theoretical positions. The book encourages the reader to take a constructively critical perspective on the many philosophical, professional and ethical debates raised by the process of formulating people’s problems. Among the issues explored are:

The social and political context of formulation

Formulation in relation to psychiatric diagnosis

The limitations of formulation

Controversies and debates about formulation

This readable and comprehensive guide to the field provides a clear, up to date and thought-provoking overview of formulation from a number of perspectives, essential for clinicians working in all areas of mental health and social care, psychology, therapy and counselling.