* Counselors and therapists tend to specialize in one or a small number of alternative approaches to therapy. Some approaches to therapy are most appropriate for treating certain problems or responding to certain personal interests; others are better suited to providing help with other problems and concerns. Choosing a therapist with an orientation that is right for you can be extremely helpful and can help you save much time, money, and energy.
These facts highlight the situation in counseling and psychotherapy that anyone faces who enters therapy today.
From them, you can see that there is a bewildering array of counseling professions, of distinct approaches to therapy, and of settings in which help is offered. This guide's intention and hope is to help you understand the alternatives, and to help you form your own judgment how it may be best to proceed.
The book hopes to give you real assistance so you may make a good choice—thereby saving you emotional investment, time, money, and the potential discouragement of avoidable false starts with therapies that may not help because they are not relevant to your goals, values, and personality.
Be patient. Take the time to think about yourself, your life, and your hopes for a better life. This book was written for you, to help you to improve your life, your self-esteem, and your relationships with others. They are worthy goals.
Nothing in this world can mean as much.
May you have the energy, courage, and perseverance to achieve them!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS