Why was the human givens approach developed?
If you could read a potted history of psychotherapy you would see an evolution of break-neck speed from the birth of the field to the chaotic situation of today, where we have at least 650 models of counselling and psychotherapy. Although many of these offer some effective techniques and useful insights, overall we have an uncoordinated disarray of theories, terminology and methods, which causes confusion among both health professionals and those in need of help.
Mature sciences like chemistry, physics and engineering are built on a broad common ground of understanding. Despite the wealth of psychological and neuroscientific knowledge available to us, this is currently lacking in psychotherapy. It was to address this lack that the human givens overarching idea was first proposed.
Psychologists Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrrell, co-founders of the human givens approach, looked to the fundamental principles of what it means to be human to develop a simple, robust, scientifically up-to-date, coordinated and agreed bio-psycho-social model of healthy human functioning: a shared language and a practical framework upon which to build an effective, integrative approach to emotional health which truly understands us as human beings with human needs.
Explore our articles and interviews
Why psychiatrists should be more like plumbers
Dr Farouk Okhai opens his casebook to show how the human givens approach can best help severely distressed people.
The carrot and the stick
Mark Evans describes how working imaginatively with rewards and punishments has helped his clients achieve very swift change
Book review - Ritual: how seemingly senseless acts make life worth living
Denise Winn reviews 'Ritual: how seemingly senseless acts make life worth living' by Dimitris Xygalatas (Profile Books, 2024)
Our collective cultural insanity
Doris Lessing believes we are all much closer to craziness than we like to believe. In conversations with Ivan Tyrrell she talks about age, breakdowns and the ubiquitous 'self-hater'.
Music to my ears
Working as a therapist is rarely a first career and is often the result of a mid-life change of track. Here Kat Marlow relates her particular path through the diverse careers of orchestral musician and process engineer, as well as her own mental health challenges, to her current role as HG practitioner and DWP trainer.
How schools are using the human givens approach
Human givens principles have been introduced to over 200 schools and adopted systemically by some. Here, four headteachers provide a vivid snapshot of their impact.
Book review: 'Lost Connections: uncovering the real causes of depression – and the unexpected solutions'
Denise Winn has read Lost Connections: uncovering the real causes of depression – and the unexpected solutions, and talked to its author, Johann Hari.
Helpless to help
The torment of ‘caring’ for a much-loved brother suffering from psychosis, to whom the NHS has failed to offer meaningful help …
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HG practitioner participates in global congress
HG practitioner Felicity Jaffrey, who lives and works in Egypt, received the extraordinary honour of being invited to speak at Egypt’s hugely prestigious Global Congress on Population, Health and Human Development (PHDC24) in Cairo in October.
SCoPEd - latest update
The six SCoPEd partners have published their latest update on the important work currently underway with regards to the SCoPEd framework implementation, governance and impact assessment.
Date posted: 14/02/2024