Christian HENRICHS
M.Phil., Dipl.-Psych. is Psychological Psychotherapist and board member of the International Center for Positive Psychotherapy (ICPP), Wiesbaden

Christian Henrichs (2007). Supplementary Approaches – Positive Therapy. Deutsches Ärzteblatt. Psychologische Psychotherapie. Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag. Köln

As Response to: Sonnenmoser (2007). POSITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPIE: Positive Emotionen, Engagement und Lebenssinn. Deutsches Ärzteblatt. Psychologische Psychotherapie. Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag. Köln

Translation from German:
The contribution of Dr. Sonnenmoser informs very well about both „positive” approaches to psychotherapy like they were developed by Martin Seligmann in the USA since the early 90s years and Nossrat Peseschkian in Germany since the late 60th. Both approaches share a positive, i.e. resources and growth-oriented perspective that they strive for a reasonable etiology and academic evaluation of treatment. Besides, both stress the meaning of „virtues” (with Peseschkian’s „actual capabilities”) like politeness, justice or hope. I see an important difference first in the respective traditions: Peseschkian developed his method from the psychodynamic practice which was at that time in its mainstream predominately deficit- oriented and had long duration of treatment.