Shared Therapeutic Components of Some Psychotherapy Models

Abstract

Psychotherapy hasbeen defined as an emotionally charged and planned interaction between a trained socially accepted healer and someone with psychological difficulties. There are four basic elements shared by all psychotherapeutic modalities. These are 1) an emotionally charged, confiding relationship with a helping person, 2) a healing setting which strengthens the therapist and the client's expectation and fosters confidence, 3) a rationale, conceptual scheme, or myth that provides a plausible explanation for the client's symptoms and prescribes a ritual or procedure for resolving them and 4) a procedure that requires active participation of both the client and the therapist and is believed by both to be the means of restoring the client's health. This paper reviews three psychotherapy orientations.

Keywords: Healing, psychotherapy, ritual, client's health