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.

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The Century of the Self

Ivan Tyrrell explores with Adam Curtis how Freudian ideas are flourishing in business and politics today and insidiously influence all of our lives.
Children of the genocide

Lorraine Debnam describes how she used her chance to bring psychological help to Rwandan street children.
Case History: Martin Baldwin

Martin Baldwin tells us about being diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPSTD) after numerous traumatic experiences and the life-saving, life-changing impact of human givens therapy
Why we need to understand healthy minds

It took millions of years for the human mind to evolve into the self-forming creature we can now become. We have reached a watershed where exciting recent discoveries about how the mind/body system works enable us to understand the processes by which the human nature of a new child can successfully unfold to create an effective and fulfilled individual.
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 …
Hold that thought! Or trash it

WRITING down negative thoughts, crumpling them up and throwing them away (as often advocated by therapists) really does help reduce negative thinking, research has shown.
Treating schizophrenia without drugs

Treatmenta for schizophrenia that involve no drugs, or only low doses of them, urgently need investigation, suggests Dr Tim Calton, lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Nottingham, and colleagues.
A visceral reaction

Renée van der Vloodt describes how a dramatic event during rewind helped a client resolve a whole host of difficulties in her life.