This important text not only brings together a synthesis of Robert Langs' most important ideas and the latest developments in his thinking - many of them of utmost importance to all manner of therapists - it also presents them in a form that is accessible to the reader new to the communicative approach, as well as those with more experience. With separate sections on theory and practice that clearly define the basic principles that apply to all forms of psychotherapy and counselling, the book is an excellent starting point as a basic introduction to, and reconsideration of, psychotherapy and counselling for trainees and practitioners.

This important text not only brings together a synthesis of Robert Langs' most important ideas and the latest developments in his thinking - many of them of utmost importance to all manner of therapists - it also presents them in a form that is accessible to the reader new to the communicative approach, as well as those with more experience. With separate sections on theory and practice that clearly define the basic principles that apply to all forms of psychotherapy and counselling, the book is an excellent starting point as a basic introduction to, and reconsideration of, psychotherapy and counselling for trainees and practitioners.

Feelings of love between patients and their therapists have been an endless source of confusion for those involved. An essential reading for all counselling and psychotherapy students and practitioners, this text offers fresh perspectives and advice on how best to deal with expressions of love and sexual desires in the course of therapy.

Feelings of love between patients and their therapists have been an endless source of confusion for those involved. An essential reading for all counselling and psychotherapy students and practitioners, this text offers fresh perspectives and advice on how best to deal with expressions of love and sexual desires in the course of therapy.

This book offers an introduction to values and ethics in counselling and psychotherapy, helping you to develop the ethical awareness needed throughout the counselling process. The book covers: - Context and emergence of ethics in counselling - Exercises to explore personal and professional values - Tools to develop ethical mindfulness - Differences between therapeutic models - Relational ethics - Ethical dilemmas and issues - Practice issues including confidentiality, boundaries and autonomy versus beneficence. Using in-depth case studies of counselling students, the author demonstrates the constant relevance of values and ethics to counselling and psychotherapy, equipping trainees with the tools to successfully navigate values and ethics in their professional practice.

In this innovative text, Carol Holmes provides students and professional psychotherapists with an historical account leading to the most up-to-date information on the core psychoanalytic concept of counter-transference and the subsequent changes that have occurred in its clinical application. This book uniquely examines the fundamental principles and practice that underpin some of the major schools of psychotherapy including psychoanalysis, existential, humanistic, integrative, systemic and communicative therapy. The author compares the philosophies that underline these diverse schools and explores their precepts in relation to the notion of counter-transference. In contrast to traditional psychoanalytic texts, the counter-transference theme of the book is examined in relation to the biased and contradictory aspect of the concept, and highlights some of the more radical and interpersonal ideas that endorse the relational and complementary qualities between therapist and client. The text offers concise and engaging introductions to the main schools of psychotherapy, and includes interviews and case study analyses from notable practitioners and trainers from these competing approaches. This book will be invaluable for those interested in understanding the importance of the hidden messages that are concealed in our communications.

For the first time, the controversial issue of physical contact in the consulting room is explored by distinguished psychoanalysts and psychotherapists representing a diverse range of psychoanalytic viewpoints. The contributors focus on the unconscious meanings of touch, or absence of touch, or unwelcome touch, or accidental touch in the psychoanalytic clinical situation. There are plenty of clinical vignettes and the discussions are grounded in clinical experience. Out of all medical and therapeutic treatments, psychoanalysis remains one of the very few that uses no physical contact. Sigmund Freud stopped using the 'pressure technique' in the late 1890s, a technique whereby he would press lightly on his patient's head while insisting that they remembered forgotten events. He gave up this procedure in favour of encouraging free association, then listening and interpreting without touching his patient in any way. Psychoanalysis was born and the use of touch, as a technique reminiscent of hypnosis, was explicitly prohibited. The avoidance of physical contact between the analyst and patient was established as a key component of the classical rule of abstinence.

Managing Managed Care is the first comprehensive exploration of the many issues and challenges faced by both providers and patients who work under the auspices of managed care insurers. The distinctive conditions of managed care treatment are scrutinized in detail and their effects and optimal management are carefully presented. The book makes extensive use of the author's unique, in-depth understanding of the human mind and pays attention to both the consciously mediated effects of the conditions of managed care treatment and to the especially powerful, largely unappreciated effects that are mediated unconsciously. The result is a well grounded, extensive, practical guide to dealing effectively with the inevitable intrusions into the therapeutic relationship and with other common issues that are characteristic of managed care therapy. The recommendations proposed by the author can turn a failing treatment experience into one that brings symptom relief to the patient and satisfaction to the therapist. While the author is critical of many practices endorsed by managed care insurers and in use by their providers, he takes pains to propose basic improvements in these areas. In addition, the positive features of this treatment modality are given full consideration, including ways to enhance their favorable effects. The book uniquely provides critical insights for therapists and psychiatrists of all backgrounds and all levels of clinical experience in ways that will greatly enhance their work with managed care patients.

Freud on a Precipice is a psychoanalytic detective story that takes the reader back to the generally unappreciated, yet single most important turning point in the history of psychoanalysis: Freuds decision following the death of his father to abandon his first, reality-centered theory of the mind in favor of a theory focused on inner fantasies and needs. Robert Langs views this change of heart as a regressive paradigm shift driven by unconsciously influential archetypes that were, in turn, linked to a series of traumas early in Freuds life. Langss detective work brings new insights into such matters as the psychological archetypes that affect the creation and modification of paradigms, physical and mental; a new, utilitarian view of the design of the emotion-processing mind; recognition of the complex unconscious impact of reality and death-related traumas on the human psyche and emotionally charged choices; the vast superiority of Freuds first paradigm over his second theory of the mind; and the unconscious reasons, despite its many flaws, that Freuds second paradigm remains in favor to this very day. Freud saved his own life by shifting course, but at the same time he created a theory that must be held partly accountable for the compromised forms of dynamic therapy and the broad psychological harm that have followed in its wake. Using an updated version of Freuds first paradigm, Langs shows us a better way to live and work. Book jacket.

This book is the first comprehensive treatment in recent decades of silence and silencing in psychoanalysis from clinical and research perspectives, as well as in philosophy, theology, linguistics, and musicology. The book approaches silence and silencing on three levels. First, it provides context for psychoanalytic approaches to silence through chapters about silence in phenomenology, theology, linguistics, musicology, and contemporary Western society. Its central part is devoted to the position of silence in psychoanalysis: its types and possible meanings (a form of resistance, in countertransference, the foundation for listening and further growth), based on both the work of the pioneers of psychoanalysis and on clinical case presentations. Finally, the book includes reports of conversation analytic research of silence in psychotherapeutic sessions and everyday communication. Not only are original techniques reported here for the first time, but research and clinical approaches fit together in significant ways. This book will be of interest to all psychologists, psychoanalysts, and social scientists, as well as applied researchers, program designers and evaluators, educators, leaders, and students. It will also provide valuable insight to anyone interested in the social practices of silence and silencing, and the roles these play in everyday social interactions.