The Human Elements of Psychotherapy

This book presents a nonmedical model of psychotherapy—one that places common factors, particularly human factors, at the center and moves modalities and techniques to the periphery. In a concise volume, Elkins summarizes the supporting evidence from various fields, including clinical psychology, attachment theory, social relationships research, neuroscience, and evolutionary theory. All of these fields show that humans are evolved to develop, maintain, and restore our emotional well-being through human connection and social interaction. Thus, psychotherapy can best be understood as an expression of social healing. After presenting this model and its vast supporting evidence, Elkins then discusses important implications for clinical research, training, and practice. The book also features a foreword by Barry L. Duncan, author of On Becoming a Better Therapist.