Therapeutic interventions

This article has two aims. One is addressed to practitioners, to say to them that too big a distinction is being drawn between interpretations and other interventions, and in particular that the term 'directive' is being wrongly used This militates against important moves toward the integration of different therapies. The other is addressed to researchers, to say to them that their research will be inadequate to the extent that they ignore many of the interventions used in therapy. Both of these aims are eventually served by the provision of a list of interventions running the whole continuum from non-directive to more directive. By looking at this list, we can become more aware of the range of what is possible in psychotherapy, and also of where the standard types of interpretations come in the scheme of things. It seems as though the wide range of interventions available in psychotherapy represents one of the ways in which it differs from counseling.