Provocative Therapy
Alternative Therapies Psychology Psychotherapy Mental Health Humor in Therapy Adult Education Clinical Textbook
First published in 1982, this vintage hardcover edition of “Provocative Therapy” by Jeff Brandsma and Frank Farrelly is the definitive textbook that launched one of the most talked-about movements in psychotherapy. Farrelly’s counter-intuitive approach—using warm, playful humor and deliberate exaggeration to jolt clients out of self-defeating patterns—changed the way therapists think about resistance and rapport. Collectors, students, and practicing clinicians prize this long-out-of-print 1982 printing because it contains the original case transcripts, session scripts, and theoretical rationale that never appeared in later reprints. Owning a clean, ex-library copy like this one is the fastest way to secure the unabridged first edition without paying the $250-plus price tag that fine copies now command.
What makes the book so special is its rare blend of rigorous clinical method and laugh-out-loud dialogue. Readers watch Farrelly “mock” depressive cognitions, inflate catastrophic fears to absurd proportions, and then witness clients laughing their way into insight and behavioral change. The method has influenced brief therapy, solution-focused work, and even stand-up therapy workshops, yet everything you need to replicate the technique—step-by-step protocols, therapist “dozens,” and ethical safeguards—is laid out in these 290 pages. Mental-health professionals, coaches, and educators regularly search for this title because modern trainings still cite it as the primary source for therapeutic use of humor.
This particular copy offers exceptional study value: the binding is tight, pages are free of dog-ears, and the only markings are the usual library stamps (edges, endpapers, title page) plus an inscription that hints at its history without obscuring text. For university students writing papers on alternative interventions, seasoned therapists expanding their toolkit, or collectors completing a psychotherapy library, a 1982 first printing in good structural condition is the edition to own. Keywords like “vintage Provocative Therapy hardcover,” “Frank Farrelly first edition,” or “1982 psychotherapy textbook” consistently lead searchers to listings like this—grab it before it disappears into private collections.
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