In contrast to dynamic or behavioral models, humanistic therapy places the patient (or "client") in the center of the session. This often relegates the therapist to a coaching role or, even more passively, to serve as an example of sincere interest in the client's chosen direction. Since the goal is often to build self-esteem (Branden, 1994, p. 1), this gives the client (for example, a timid child or neglected widow) experience with supportive, open relationships that may have been absent from prior life.

With its roots in intervention-oriented social work, family systems therapy has evolved into a sophisticated theoretical approach in its own right. By seeking the source of disturbances in the relationships between family members and other individuals, family therapists often derive insight from studying how two or more people -- any one of whom may be the putative "patient" (Barnhill, 1979, p. 94) -- transmit information and emotional...
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