Positive Psychotherapy: Clinician Manual

The foreword states the book's main claim in a sentence: conventional psychotherapy rests on the unspoken, untested assumption that a client encouraged to talk at length about what is wrong will somehow get better. Positive psychotherapy (PPT) does the opposite, encouraging clients to recognise what is right, strong and good in their lives and to use their best qualities to buffer against disorder. Three short vignettes illustrate it: Emma, stuck on traumatic memories, discovers the power of forgiveness; Alejandro, sitting in a psychiatric emergency room, discovers inner resources of their own; Myriam, who fits no diagnosis neatly, realises that creativity can carry them to graduation.

Chapter 1 works with striking numbers. The authors describe what they call the «65% barrier»: the two most effective treatments for depression — cognitive behavioural therapy and SSRIs — produce a response of about 65%, of which 45–55% is placebo. Some clients do not benefit at all, and 5–10% actually deteriorate. Seligman and Rashid blame this partly on psychotherapy's reliance on the medical model and a «victimology». They are also sceptical of hydraulic notions of «venting» anger, which they argue may increase it.

The book's greatest strength is how it describes sessions. Session One has two practices. In the «Positive Introduction», clients write a story with a beginning, middle and good ending about a time they handled a difficult situation well. The story is sealed in an envelope and reopened at the end of therapy. In the «Gratitude Journal», clients write down three good things each night and why they happened. Each practice comes with a ready-made script, discussion questions, notes on adaptation and flexibility, and cultural considerations — a structure that is very helpful for less experienced therapists.

The chapter's most memorable passage is a personal story from one of the authors. After a yoga class in Brooklyn, the author is carjacked at gunpoint by two teenagers. Calmed by Ujjayi breathing and following a «therapist instinct», the author asks: «What do you do besides this?» The conversation goes on, the boys demonstrate rap dance «moves», forget about the ATM and let the author go unharmed 45 minutes later. Since then, the author writes, asking clients «What are you good at?» has never felt awkward. The story captures the spirit of the approach.

The section on gratitude draws on Robert Emmons's research: gratitude boosts self-esteem, helps with stress, strengthens relationships and is even linked to sleep quality. The authors also explain the negativity bias — evolution gave us brains that react more strongly to bad events, so noticing the good takes deliberate effort. One criticism applies here: the authors tend to present the effects of positive interventions through the most favourable studies and give little space to the more modest results of recent meta-analyses.

Overall the book is, as its title says, a working tool for clinicians. Most chapters follow the same template (core concepts, in-session practice, reflection, case example, adaptation, cultural notes), which is convenient for reference but monotonous to read straight through. The Turkish translation was done by five translators; the terminology is consistent, though the style shifts slightly between chapters.

• Ready-made scripts, worksheets and discussion questions for every session
• Real clinical stories and the author's own experience
• Explicit attention to cultural differences