Therapeutic Change with Difficult Clients

“Even the most experienced and skilled therapists encounter challenges with clients that can stifle progress and bring frustration into the therapeutic relationship. In this volume, Wilkinson and Hanna explore a compassionate approach to working with these challenges that considers the unique individual client. It is an excellent resource for any therapist.” - Louis Hoffman, PhD, Editor, APA Handbook of Humanistic and Existential Psychology and coeditor, The Evidence-Based Foundations of Existential–Humanistic Therapy “If I could only grab one book to give to psychotherapists in training at any level it would be Therapeutic Change With Difficult Clients. It has enough theory, so it hangs together well, but the real treasure is the host of tools and techniques that are wonderfully explained and exemplified. No therapist, even experienced ones, should miss this valuable volume. This old dog learned lots of new tricks! - David M. Young, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN; coauthor of The Silent Language of Psychotherapy, Third Edition “Drs. Wilkinson and Hanna are percipient thinkers who have put together a truly invaluable book on how to work with some of the most challenging clients. Filled with keen insights and practical wisdom for practice, I am confident that this second edition will be widely read and cited for years to come.” - Matthew E. Lemberger-Truelove, PhD, American Counseling Association Fellow; Professor of Counseling at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX “Finally, a book about how to support people in their change process! This book’s focus on facilitating and enhancing people’s change process is a must-read for all mental health providers. Too often it is assumed our clients want to change, when in reality, most people have ambivalence about change. The authors guide readers, step-by-step, with practical tools they can use to help encourage change. The case examples and applications bring to life the most important thing we do as helpers - support others in their change process.” - Victoria Kress, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH

Brett Wilkinson, PhD

Brett Wilkinson is an associate professor of counselor education at Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) and a licensed mental health counselor in private practice working with individuals, couples, and families. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Humanistic Counseling and founding director of the PFW Institute for Counseling Research, which designs clinical practice and training studies in counseling and psychotherapy. He provides consultations and trainings on the CHANGES Model, clinical-reflective supervision, cognitive complexity, and embodied mindfulness to community agencies, school systems, and university programs.

Fred J. Hanna, PhD

Fred J. Hanna is a professor and codesigner of the PhD Program in Counseling at Adler University, in Chicago. He was previously a senior faculty associate at Johns Hopkins University where he taught graduate counseling courses for 25 years, including 11 years full time, leaving as a full professor. Fred has served as a consultant and trainer to the medical, mental health, corrections, business, and education communities, including such places as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, the Fort Peck Sioux Reservation in Montana, the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, and a wide variety of school systems, community agencies, prisons, and criminal justice settings across the United States.