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Countertransference and the Therapist's Inner Experience

Perils and Possibilities

• By Charles J. Gelso
• Edited by Jeffrey Hayes

• Price: $59.95
• Binding: Hardback (also available in Paperback)
• Pages: 184
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 15th February 2007
• ISBN: 978-0-8058-4696-6

About the Book

Countertransference and the Therapist’s Inner Experience explores the inner world of the psychotherapist and its influences on the relationship between psychotherapist and patient. This relationship is a major element determining the success of psychotherapy, in addition to determining how and to what extent psychotherapy works with each individual patient. Authors Charles J. Gelso and Jeffrey A. Hayes present the history and current status of countertransference, offer a theoretically integrative conception, and focus on how psychotherapists can manage countertransference in a way that benefits the therapeutic process.

The book contains completely up-to-date data from existing research findings, and illuminates the universality of countertransference across all psychotherapies and psychotherapists. Contents include:

*the operation of countertransference across three predominant theory clusters in psychotherapy;

*leading factors involved in the management of countertransference; and

*valuable recommendations for psychotherapy practitioners and researchers.

Professionals in clinical and counseling psychology, psychiatry, social work, and counseling will benefit from this volume. The book is also appropriate for graduate students in these fields.

Reviews

"If I had but one volume to recommend on countertransference to novice or experienced psychotherapists, researchers or teacher/trainers, it would be Countertransference and the Therapist's Inner Experience. Gelso and Hayes, two master clinicians and academicians, have provided a clearly written, incisive volume on countertransference that applies to all theoretical orientations and successfully bridges the clinical/research divide. I look forward to introducing my students to its conceptual richness and practical recommendations for managing countertransference in successfully conducted psychotherapy."

—Stanley B. Messler, Ph.D., Rutgers University

"This is an extremely well-written, well-organized and accessible book, replete with multiple case examples and well-selected quotes… Perhaps the best feature though is how ‘experience-near’ it feels; this is a book not only for those interested in the topic of countertransference per se, but for all of us interested in improving our clinical skills. It will surely prove helpful to a wide range of practitioners, from those just beginning their graduate work to those who are experienced clinicians."

—Barry A. Farber, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University

"In this comprehensive, even-handed treatment of the topic of countertransference, Charles Gelso and Jeffrey Hayes manage to be both clinically passionate and empirically dispassionate. Therapists, whether beginners or veterans, will appreciate the book’s practical wisdom and its consistent empathic attunement to subtle clinical realities. Researchers will value its conceptual clarity and breadth of scholarship. We have come along way since Freud first identified countertransference, and, as the authors point out, we need to go a lot further. Countertransference and the Therapist’s Inner Experience is a significant milestone on the journey."

—Nancy McWilliams, Ph.D., Rutgers University

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface. The Past and the Present: The Evolution of Countertransference. An Integrative Conception of Countertransference. Countertransference Within Different Theoretical Stances. Countertransference and the Therapist’s Experiential World. The Management of Countertransference. Empirical Research on Countertransference. Countertransference and the Psychotherapist’s Subjectivity: Conclusions and Recommendations.

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