“The Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy” is an open-source textbook designed to introduce mental health professions to the practice of counselling and psychotherapy. The book covers a breadth of topics from the nature of the self, neurobiology, theories of psychotherapy, ethics of practice, integration, and case formulation, to name a few. However, the unique contribution of this book is its focus on the counselling process and the experience of persons engaged in the therapeutic encounter. While theoretical knowledge is provided in the pages of this book, its primary focus is on the how and when of therapy. Therapy, at its heart, is about a deep personal encounter with self and other. For the therapist, it is about attending carefully and respectfully to the needs of the client within the minute moments of therapy. It is about journeying with the other to facilitate a drawing to life that which has been confused, blocked or restricted. In reading this book you will be introduced to what is involved in the deep processes of therapy and through it have the potential to discover how to be with another.
