Developmental Counseling/Psychotherapy

Abstract

Developmental Counseling I Psychotherapy Developmental Therapy: Theory into Practice. Allen E. Ivey. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1986. (385 pp.) In reviewing one quickly learns an implicit rule which dictates that a "good review" involves a fashionable balance between criticism and praise (providing, of course, there is something worthwhile about the book). If one must err, however, then it should be in the direction of criticism rather than enthusiastic endorsement. Too much enthusiasm suggests that the reviewer is naive and/or credulous, whereas criticism is indicative of the dispassion and detachment of the "true scholar" and certainly shows that s/he adheres to the highest standards of the profession. Having acknowledged this unwritten rule, I shall now proceed to violate it at the risk of being dubbed a naive introjector. After reading Developmental Therapy four times during the past six months, I am still shamelessly impressed with the creative synthesis that Ivey has succeeded in producing. This book is a noteworthy contribution to the helping professions. Buy it! The price is modest for what you get. More important, however, read it, study it, and carry on your own dialogue with what Ivey has to say. There are plenty of points for discussion, debate, and downright argument in Developmental Therapy. The notion of developmental counseling/psychotherapy has been widely endorsed as a "good idea" for a number of years. The only problem was that nobody went to the trouble of doing anything with this "good idea" before the publication of Developmental Therapy. Ivey's observation that, "The relationship of therapeutic practice and developmental theory remained disturbingly 'remote'" (p. xi) is an accurate description of what was previously available. Ivey has taken this "good idea" and made it a reality. After all, to paraphrase a worn adage, "A bird in the hand is worth ten-perhaps even a hundred-in the bush." As an aside, it is encouraging to note that Ivey frames his own work in terms of the dialectic process which he is proposing for conceptualizing counseling/psychotherapy and this is done explicitly with acknowledgments that "Clearly, developmental therapy is only in its beginning stages" (p. xx). One of the most impressive aspects of Developmental Therapy is the bread of knowledge which is evident in Ivey's theoretical formulations. His work not only demonstrates understanding of the writings of a formidable array of counseling/psychotherapy theorists, but also shows that he is knowledgable in the areas of developmental theory and philosophy. In order to achieve a creative synthesis, one must have information/knowledge to synthesize. Even a cursory reading of Developmental Therapy is sufficient to establish the fact that Ivey's level of knowledge and scholarship is quite adequate to accomplish this task. The level of scholarship in this book is exemplary in the sense that Ivey goes to great pains to give credit where credit is due to other theorists and researchers. Needless to say, this has not always been the case in the past. Too many counseling/psychotherapy theorists have penned their ideas without bothering to read what other theorists have written. It is also worth mentioning that Ivey shows sensitivity and appreciation in dealing with the contributions of other theorists. Since developmental therapy represents a holistic approach for conceptualizing the counseling/psychotherapy process, breaking the system down to analyze its different facets is problematic. Yet, this approach is probably necessary in order to highlight strengths of the system. Taking this approach, it then makes sense to ask, "What features of Ivey's development system are unique enough to justify a 'rave review?'" There are two or perhaps three unifying strands that run throughout the eight chapters (and Epilogue) of Developmental Therapy and provide coherence and focus for the system. However, the most salient strand seems to involve the use of the dialectic. …