The psychotherapy of hope

The then-controversial message of Jerome D. Frank's Persuasion and Healing (1991) was that "the shared features of the various methods of psychological therapy are more important than those by which they differ." Alarcon (emeritus, psychiatry, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine), a former student of Frank's, and Julia Frank (psychiatry and behavioral sciences, George Washington U. School of Medicine), his daughter/coauthor, introduce essays treating his book's themes (e.g., the importance of life history, meaning, cultural concepts, demoralization, the mind-body interface); its impact on current practices; relevance to neuroscience; and applications to special populations. Frank's contributions are situated in the history of American psychiatry. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).