General Texts and Introductions

Brown, F., & Smith, K. (2023). Pluralistic therapy: Responses to frequently asked questions. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003305736

Cooper, M., & Dryden, W. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.

Cooper, M., & Dryden, W. (2016). Introduction to pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2007). A pluralistic framework for counselling and psychotherapy: Implications for research. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 7(3), 135-143. doi: 10.1080/14733140701566282

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2010). Pluralism: Towards a new paradigm for therapy. Therapy Today, 21(9), 10-14.

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2011). Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage.

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2012). From either/or to both/and: Developing a pluralistic approach to counselling and psychotherapy. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 5-18.

Hanley, T., Winter, L., McLeod, J., & Cooper, M. (2017). Pluralistic counselling psychology. In D. Murphy (Ed.), Counselling psychology: A textbook for study and practice (pp. 134-149). London: Wiley.

McLeod, J. (2013). Developing pluralistic practice in counselling and psychotherapy: Using what the client knows. The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 2(1), 51-64.

McLeod, John (2018). Pluralistic therapy: Distinctive features. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

McLeod, John, & Cooper, M. (2012). Pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In C. Feltham & I. Horton (Eds.), The Sage handbook of counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 368-371). London: Sage.

McLeod, John, & Cooper, M. (2015). Pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In S. Palmer (Ed.), The beginner’s guide to counselling and psychotherapy (2nd ed., pp. 322-332). London: Sage.

McLeod, John, McLeod, J., Cooper, M., & Dryden, W. (2014). Pluralistic therapy. In W. Dryden & A. Reeves (Eds.), Handbook of individual therapy (6th ed., pp. 547-573). London: Sage.

“A brief summary of how pluralistic therapy works”. McLeod, J. (2017) Pluralistic therapy: distinctive features. London: Routledge (chapter 1)

Smith, K & de la Prida, A (2021) The pluralistic therapy primer PCCS books

Philosophical Underpinnings

Connolly, W. E. (2005). Pluralism. Durham: Duke University.

James, W. (1996). A pluralistic universe. London: University of Nebraska.

McLellan, G. (1995). Pluralism. Buckingham: Open University.

Rescher, N. (1993). Pluralism: Against the Demand for Consensus. Oxford: Oxford University.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2006). Value pluralism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/value-pluralism/

Research

Al-Roubaiy, N. S., Owen-Pugh, V., & Wheeler, S. (2017). Iraqi refugee men’s experiences of psychotherapy: clinical implications and the proposal of a pluralistic model. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(5), 463-472.

Antoniou, P., Cooper, M., Tempier, A., & Holliday, C. (2017). Helpful aspects of pluralistic therapy for depression. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 17(2), 137-147. doi: 10.1002/capr.12116

Blunden, N., Kupfer, C., Smith, K., et al. (2024). Building a community of inquiry for pluralistic practice. Pluralistic Practice Journal. https://doi.org/10.57064/2164/24416

Bowen, M., & Cooper, M. (2012). Development of a client feedback tool: a qualitative study of therapists’ experiences of using the Therapy Personalisation Forms. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14, 47-62.

Cantwell, S., Rae, J. P., Hayes, J., Vos, J., & Cooper, M. (2022). Therapists’ questions to clients about what might be helpful can be supportive without being directive: a conversation analysis. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 35(4), 921-942.

Cooper, M., Di Malta, G., Knox, S., Oddli, H. W., & Swift, J. K. (2023). Patient perspectives on working with preferences in psychotherapy: A consensual qualitative research study. Psychotherapy Research, 1-15.

Cooper, M., Duncan, B. L., Golden, S., & Toth, K. (2021). Systematic client feedback in therapy for children with psychological difficulties: Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(1), 21-36.

Cooper, M., Norcross, J. C., Raymond-Barker, B., & Hogan, T. P. (2019). Psychotherapy preferences of laypersons and mental health professionals: Whose therapy is it? Psychotherapy. doi: 10.1037/pst0000226

Cooper, M., van Rijn, B., Chryssafidou, E., & Stiles, W. B. (2022). Activity preferences in psychotherapy: what do patients want and how does this relate to outcomes and alliance? Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 35(3), 503-526.

Cooper, M., Wild, C., van Rijn, B., Ward, T., McLeod, J., Cassar, S., . . . Sreenath, S. (2015). Pluralistic therapy for depression: Acceptability, outcomes and helpful aspects in a multisite study. Counselling Psychology Review, 30(1), 6-20.

Finnerty, M., Kearns, C. and O’Regan, D. (2018) Pluralism: an ethical commitment to dialogue and collaboration. Irish Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 18(3), 14-22.

Hanley, T., & Winter, L. A. (2016). Research in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 337-349). London: Sage.

Joyce, P., Cooper, M., McLeod, J., & Vos, J. (2023). Pluralistic counselling versus counselling as usual for young people presenting with addiction issues: A pilot randomised controlled trial. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 23(1), 74-83.

McLeod, John (2012). What do clients want from therapy? A practice-friendly review of research into client preferences. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 19-32.

McLeod, John, & Cooper, M. (2011). A protocol for systematic case study research in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling Psychology Review, 26(4), 47-58.

McLeod, John, & Cooper, M. (2012). A pluralistic approach to counselling and psychotherapy for depression: Treatment manual (V.1 ed.). Dundee: University of Abertay.

McLeod, Julia (2013). Process and outcome in pluralistic transactional analysis counselling for long-term health conditions: A case series. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 13(1), 32-43.

Miller, E., & Willig, C. (2012). Pluralistic counselling and HIV-positive clients: the importance of shared understanding. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 33-46.

Murphie, M.-C., & Smith, K. (2025). The effectiveness of pluralistic counselling in a primary counselling setting: A pilot study. Pluralistic Practice Journal, 1–24. https://pluralisticpracticejournal.com/index.php/ppj/article/view/20

Oddli, H. W., Stänicke, E., Halvorsen, M. S., & Lindstad, T. G. (2022) Causality in psychotherapy research: Towards evidential pluralism, Psychotherapy Research,

Sales, C., Ashworth, M., Ayis, S., Barkham, M., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Faisca, J., Jacob, J., Xu, D., & Cooper, M. (2022). Idiographic patient reported outcome measures (I-PROMs) for routine outcome monitoring in psychological therapies: A position paper. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Smith, K., McLeod, J., Blunden, N., Cooper, M., Gabriel, L., Kupfer, C., McLeod, J., Murphie, M.C., Oddli, H.W., Thurston, M. and Winter, L.A., (2021) A pluralistic perspective on research in psychotherapy: Harnessing passion, difference and dialogue to promote justice and relevance. Frontiers in Psychology, 3728.

Swift, J. K., Callahan, J. L., Cooper, M., & Parkin, S. R. (2019). Preferences. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work (3rd ed.). NY: Oxford University.

Walls, J., McLeod, J., & McLeod, J. (2016). Client preferences in counselling for alcohol problems: a qualitative investigation. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 16(2). 

Watson, V., Cooper, M., McArthur, K., & McLeod, J. (2012). Helpful therapeutic processes: A pluralistic analysis of client activities, therapist activities and helpful effects. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 77-90.

Wilk, K. (2014). Using a pluralistic approach in counselling psychology and psychotherapy practice with diverse clients: Explorations in cultural and religious responsiveness within a Western paradigm. Counselling Psychology Review, 29(1), 16-28.

Measures and Instruments

Cooper, M. (2015). The Goals Form. University of Roehampton. London. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286928866_Goals_Form

Cooper, M., & Xu, D. (2022). The Goals Form: Reliability, validity, and clinical utility of an idiographic goal-focused measure for routine outcome monitoring in psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Cooper, M., & Norcross, J. C. (2016). A Brief, Multidimensional Measure of Clients’ Therapy Preferences: The Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP). International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 16(1), 87-98. doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2015.08.003

Duncan, C., Saxon, D., & Cooper, M. (2022). Test-retest stability, convergent validity, and sensitivity to change for the Goal-Based Outcome tool for adolescents: analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Duncan, B. L., & Sparks, J. A. (2016). Systematic feedback through the Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS). In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 55-67). London: Sage.

Thompson, A., Cooper, M., & Pauli, R. (2017). Development of a therapists’ self-report measure of pluralistic thought and practice: the Therapy Pluralism Inventory. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(5), 489-499. doi: 10.1080/03069885.2017.1373745

Wallace, K., & Cooper, M. (2015). Development of supervision personalisation forms: A qualitative study of the dimensions along which supervisors’ practices vary. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 15(1), 31-40.

Practice

Ashley, H. (2010). Humanistic contributions to pluralistic practice. In M. Milton (Ed.), Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues (pp. 123-138). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

Athanasiadou, C. (2012). Pluralism as the forerunner of integration? A reflective account. Counselling Psychology Review, 27(4), 18-26.

Boucher, T. (2010). Cognitive-behavioural contributions to pluralistic practice: Reflections on an issue of some contention. In M. Milton (Ed.), Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues (pp. 155-169). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

Carey, T. A. (2016). Boundaries: A pluralistic perspective and illustrative case study of the patient-led approach to appointment scheduling. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 288-299). London: Sage.

Cooper, M. (2016). Core counselling skills for pluralistic practice. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.

Cooper, M., Dryden, W., Martin, K., & Papayianni, F. (2016). Metatherapeutic communication and shared decision-making. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 42-54). London: Sage.

Cooper, M., & Law, D. (Eds.). (2018). Working with goals in counselling and psychotherapy. Oxford: Oxford University.

Diamond, D. (2010). Psychodynamic contributions to pluralistic practice. In M. Milton (Ed.), Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues (pp. 139-153). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

Downing, J. N. (2004). Psychotherapy practice in a pluralistic world: Philosophical and moral dilemmas. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 14(2), 123-148.

Dryden, W. (2012). Pluralism in counselling and psychotherapy: Personal reflections on an important development. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 103-111.

Hanley, T., Sefi, A., & Ersahin, Z. (2015). From goals to tasks and methods. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 28-41). London: Sage.

Hanley, T., Williams, G., & Sefi, A. (2012). Pluralistic counselling psychology for young people. In T. Hanley, N. Humphrey & C. Lennie (Eds.), Adolescent Counselling Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice (pp. 133-156). London: Routledge.

McAteer. (2010). Philosophical pluralism: Navigating the sea of diversity in psychotherapeutic and counselling psychology practice. In M. Milton (Ed.), Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues (pp. 5-19). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

McLeod, John, & McLeod, Julia (2016). Assessment and formulation in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 15-27). London: Sage.

McLeod, John (2016). Helping clients address depression. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 173-183). London: Sage.

Sparks, J. A., & Duncan, B. L. (2016). Client strengths and resources: Helping clients draw on what they already do best. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 68-79). London: Sage.

Winter, L. A., Guo, F., Wilk, K., & Hanley, T. (2016). Difference and diversity in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 275-287). London: Sage.

Training, Supervision, and Professional Issues

Creaner, M., & Timulak, L. (2016). Supervision in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 314-325). London: Sage.

Frost, C. (2012). Humanism vs. the medical model: Can pluralism bridge the divide for counselling psychologists? A trainee’s perspective. Counselling Psychology Review, 27(1), 53-63.

Gabriel, L. (2016). Ethics in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 300-313). London: Sage.

McLeod, J., Smith, K., & Thurston, M. (2016). Training in pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 326-336). London: Sage.

Scott, A. J., & Hanley, T. (2012). On becoming a pluralistic therapist: A case study of a student’s reflexive journal. Counselling Psychology Review, 27(4), 29.

Thompson, A., & Cooper, M. (2012). Therapists’ experiences of pluralistic practice. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 63-76. doi: 10.1080/13642537.2012.652393

Coaching

Pendle, A. (2015). Pluralistic coaching? An exploration of the potential for a pluralistic approach to coaching. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring(Special Issue No. 9), 1-13.

Utry, Z. A., Palmer, S., McLeod, J., & Cooper, M. (2015). A pluralistic approach to counselling. The Coaching Psychologist, 11(1), 46-52.

Utry, Z. A., Palmer, S., McLeod, J., & Cooper, M. (2019). Pluralistic counselling. In S. Palmer & A. Whybrow (Eds.), Handbook of coaching psychology (pp. 154-165). London: Routledge.

Pluralism and Other Approaches

Boucher, T. (2016). Cognitive behavioural approaches and pluralism. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 108-121). London: Sage.

Cooper, M. (2015). Existential psychotherapy and counselling: Contributions to a pluralistic practice. London: Sage.

Cooper, M., & McLeod, J. (2011). Person-centered therapy: A pluralistic perspective. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 10(3), 210-223.

Cooper, M., & Stumm, G. (2015). Existential approaches and pluralism. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.

Dryden, W. (2018). Flexibility-based cognitive behaviour therapy. London: Routledge.

Hanley, T., Scott, A., & Winter, L. A. (2016). Humanistic approaches and pluralism. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 95-107). London: Sage.

Manafi, E. (2010). Amor Fati*: Existential contributions to pluralistic practice. In M. Milton (Ed.), Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues (pp. 171-187). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

Scott, A. J. (2014). How to skin a cat: A case for and against the use of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in pluralistic therapy. Counselling Psychology Review, 28(1), 81-90.

Spurling, L. (2016). Psychodynamic approaches and pluralism. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 122-133). London: Sage.

Sundet, R., & McLeod, J. (2016). Narrative approaches and pluralism. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 158-170). London: Sage.

Specific Goals/Problem Areas

Barker, M.-J. (2016). Helping clients improve their interpersonal relationships. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 198-210). London: Sage.

Dryden, W. (2016). Helping clients address problematic anxiety. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 184-197). London: Sage.

Mackrill, T., & Jensen, B. (2016). Helping clients address addictive behaviours. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 223-234). London: Sage.

McLeod, J., Thurston, M., & Smith, K. (2016). Helping clients who have health issues. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 247-258). London: Sage.

McMillan, L. (2016). Helping clients address eating problems. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 235-246). London: Sage.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2016). Helping clients find meaning in grief and loss. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 211-222). London: Sage.

Reeves, A. (2016). Helping clients who are suicidal or self-injuring. In M. Cooper & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy (pp. 259-272). London: Sage.

Related Texts

Cooper, M. (2019). Integrating counselling and psychotherapy: Directionality, synergy, and social change. London: Sage.

Cooper, M. (2023). Psychology at the heart of social change: Developing a progressive vision for society. Bristol University

Hurley, J., Barrett, P., & Reet, P. (2006). ‘Let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend’: a case for therapeutic pluralism in mental health nursing. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 13(2), 173-179.

Norcross, J. C., & Cooper, M. (2021). Personalizing psychotherapy: Assessing and accommodating client preferences. APA.

Commentaries and Critiques

Dryden, W. (2012). Pluralism in counselling and psychotherapy: Personal reflections on an important development. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 14(1), 103-111.

Molyneux, C. (2014). The problem with pluralism. Therapy Today, 25(4), 32-33.

Ross, A. (2012). The new pluralism–a paradigm of pluralisms. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, 14(1), 113-119.

Pluralistic Practice Journal

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