Understanding Psychotherapy Change: A Practical Guide to Configurational Analysis

Mardi Horowitz provides a simplified discussion of his empirically supported, integrative approach to case formulation. He begins by tracing the roots of this approach and its refinements and providing an overview of the process. Then, using an extended case example from a brief psychotherapy, he methodically illustrates how Configurational Analysis (CA) is applied. Drawing from psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal therapy approaches, CA enables the therapist to develop models, formulate cases, and guide the patient through the delicate change process by attending to states of mind, controls, and views of self and role relationships. A number of reader-friendly devices are incorporated to simplify learning this approach, including boldfaced instructions, overviews and summaries, and exhibit material to clarify the process as it unfolds. Advanced graduate students in psychology, psychiatry and social work will appreciate the clarity with which the approach is described and the clinical wisdom sprinkled throughout as additional and reassuring guidance in using this nuanced approach.