Books / Humanistic, existential & experiential
Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Dave Mearns and Mick Cooper’s 2005 book explores relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy, describing moments of close contact and engagement between people.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Dave Mearns and Mick Cooper
Edition: 1st edition, paperback (2005)
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Edition year: 2005
Language and origin: English (United Kingdom)
ISBN: 9780761944584
Form and genre: Clinical & Theoretical Monograph
Level: Intermediate
Historical era: 1980–2009 · Evidence-Based, Trauma & Integrative Era
Covers: Relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy; Person-centred and relational perspectives; Case material and the therapeutic relationship; Considerations for therapists and training
APA 7th reference: Mearns, D., & Cooper, M. (2005). Working at relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy. SAGE Publications.
What it is & historical context
First published in 2005, this book develops Mearns and Cooper’s account of relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy. The authors’ preface to the later edition notes that Mearns had been writing about the topic since the mid-1990s.
Core clinical themes & arguments
The authors describe relational depth as profound contact and engagement between two people. Their first-edition preface offers a working definition, while the table of contents includes chapters on relational understanding, the experience of relational depth and case material. Their perspective draws on person-centred and relational ideas.
Clinical practice, reception & legacy
A 2012 online survey analysed 342 client and therapist accounts and examined the properties of the Relational Depth Inventory. Its abstract reports that relational depth events were more likely in the presence of a strong therapeutic alliance. The finding is an association in the accounts studied, not evidence that the experience causes symptom improvement.
Reader level & educational scope
This record is an introduction for readers interested in the therapeutic relationship. It is based on the first edition’s publisher excerpt and contents, a library catalogue and the 2012 study’s abstract; the complete book and study were not reviewed. The authors’ account is one perspective on therapeutic practice.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: The Prevalence and Characteristics of Relational Depth Events in Psychotherapy (Sue Wiggins, Robert Elliott, and Mick Cooper, 2012)
Reference: Wiggins, S., Elliott, R., & Cooper, M. (2012). The prevalence and characteristics of relational depth events in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research, 22(2), 139–158.
An online survey of 342 client and therapist accounts examined reported relational depth events and the properties of the Relational Depth Inventory. The study reported an association with therapeutic alliance; it did not establish that relational depth causes improved outcomes.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Mearns and Cooper describe relational depth as a state of close contact and engagement between two people. (The 2005 publisher excerpt includes the preface and the authors’ working definition.) [Source 1: Mearns, D., & Cooper, M. (2005). Working at relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy. SAGE Publications. Publisher excerpt.]
Claim 2: In an online survey of client and therapist accounts, relational depth events were more likely to be reported alongside a strong therapeutic alliance. (The abstract reports an association in a survey of 342 accounts. It does not establish causation or post-treatment symptom improvement.) [Source 2: Wiggins, S., Elliott, R., & Cooper, M. (2012). The prevalence and characteristics of relational depth events in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research, 22(2), 139–158.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Title page, first publication date, paperback ISBN, contents and preface including the authors’ working definition. The complete book was not reviewed.
Supports: Abstract reports an online survey of 342 client and therapist accounts, properties of the Relational Depth Inventory, and an association with therapeutic alliance. The complete paper was not reviewed.
Supports: The author dates the first edition to 2005 and notes Mearns’s writing on relational depth since the mid-1990s.
WorldCat. Working at relational depth in counselling and psychotherapy. 2005 catalogue record.
Supports: Authors and 2005 first-edition publication by SAGE.
Supports: 2005 publication and paperback ISBN 9780761944584; author order in this record differs from the book’s title page.