Potency in Psychotherapy

Abstract

This paper defines therapeutic potency in terms of constructive as opposed to destructive intervention. In judging the degree of success in psychotherapy we may use either a medical or a growth model. Whichever criterion is adopted the conclusion stands that potency will be at a maximum whenever the therapist selects the most efficient technique for working with his client regardless of the school which gave birth to it. An eclectic approach views the differences between schools as exaggerated by the use of divergent psychological models and terminology, and sees value in various explanatory concepts such as 'reinforcement' 'conditioning', 'insight' and 'cognitive restructuring'.