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Although the field of psychotherapy has been in existence for well over a hundred years, it nonetheless still cannot be classified as a mature science—one where there exists an agreed-upon core or consensus. With its numerous competing schools of thought, psychotherapy has yet to achieve an agreed-upon consensus. We always seem to be at the cutting edge, forever developing “new” (often recycled) concepts and approaches. However, I do believe psychotherapy will eventually reach of state of maturity. It is not a question of if, but when.
My original training in the 1950s was primarily psychodynamic, with exposure to such approaches as those developed by Carl Rogers, Julian Rotter, and George Kelly. When I joined the faculty at Stony Brook and became involved in behavior therapy—later to become cognitive behavior therapy—my graduate course in psychotherapy consisted primarily of this new approach to intervention. However, a visit by the American Psychological Association indicated that the course was too narrow, and if our clinical program was to be accredited, it needed to be broadened to include other approaches as well. This provided me with the opportunity to go back to my old notes and books, where I was most surprised to see interesting parallels that existed between the various approaches to intervention. The language systems used were quite different, but similarities nonetheless existed.
As a result of this recognition, as well as the desire to move the field ahead in its maturity, I became interested in looking to see where commonalities existed. In a 1980 American Psychologist article entitled “Toward the delineation of therapeutic change principles,” I proposed that similarities across different schools of therapy may be found at neither the theoretical nor the procedural level, but rather somewhere in between—namely “strategies” or “principles” of change. In becoming involved in the development of SEPI, my hope was that dialogues across different orientations would eventually allow the field of psychotherapy to establish a core. Some 40 years later, in another American Psychologist article entitled “Obtaining consensus in psychotherapy: What holds us back?” I lamented that this has yet to happen. However, I believe that SEPI has been a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to move psychotherapy in the direction of reaching a consensus.
Although SEPI most definitely has made a dramatic impact in getting to think outside our theoretical box, it has also produced competing attempts to provide the integrated intervention. Even the title of our organization, which emphasizes “exploration,” contributes to the process of continuing to search. However, after all these years, I think it is time that we have found something. Even if we do not formally change the name of SEPI to something like the “Society for the Evolution of Psychotherapy Integration,” it is time for us to start an effort in developing an agreed-upon core. I do believe that it is possible for us to point to certain common, transtheoretical principles that contribute to the change process. In a recent article entitled “Revived call for consensus in the future of psychotherapy,” written by my professional great-granddaughter (Averi Gaines), my professional grandson (Mike Constantino) and myself, we share our vision of the future.
I believe that there exist clinical phenomena within therapy that clinicians of all orientations are likely to encounter. I also believe that it is now time for SEPI to change focus. Although there is much to say for theoretical discussions and the consideration of philosophical issues, in the final analysis, we need to do what we can to move psychotherapy in achieving a firmer, agreed-upon core. I would propose that the question that SEPI needs to address is a simple one: “On what can we agree?"
—Marvin R. Goldfried, Ph.D., Stony Brook University
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