Since its first publication in 2012,
A Safe Place for Change
has been adopted by both universities and private colleges as a set or recommended text in programs across Australia and New Zealand. Students have enjoyed its easy-to-read style and its abundant examples of what 'real counselling' looks like. While Crago and Gardner emphasise the vital importance of the therapeutic relationship, they refer to a wide range of different models and theories in direct relation to what counsellors actually do—the element that is often lacking in 'Models of Counselling' courses.
Now
appears in its second edition, from IP. In this revision, the authors have enlarged their coverage of the neurological research that has revolutionised our knowledge of brain functioning and provided hard evidence of how the therapeutic encounter really does change clients. The authors also include a complete new chapter on how psychotherapy unfolds over the long term.
Although Crago and Gardner originally wrote for students, their book has a great deal to offer experienced practitioners. Psychologists and social workers, in particular, may be surprised to discover here key concepts that did not form part of their professional training. Here is the distilled wisdom of two lives spent in doing (and teaching) counselling and therapy.