| Summary: | This book offers an approach to working with clients who simply do not seem to change. Therapeutic change, in the author's view, hinges on the presence of seven precursors, or harbingers, of change: hope, awareness, a sense of necessity to change, the willingness to experience anxiety or difficulty, confronting issues, the exertion of will or effort, and the presence of social support. The presence of these precursors bodes well for a client no matter what the therapist's theoretical orientation. The converse is also true: their absence or deficiency close the relationship. The good news for any therapist who has ever encountered a client who believes change is frightening, unattainable, or a waste of time is that the obstacles are not insurmountable. In this practical guide, the author offers a tool for assessing the readiness for change in clients and in therapists. He offers an abundance of strategies, examples, and insights for enhancing precursors that are lacking and leveraging those that are present. This model offers invaluable guidance for the stalled client and therapist alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved).
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