This book examines the ‘therapeutic use of self’, and the intertwining of the therapist’s professional self and their personal self. Combining practical illustrations and case studies with theory and research, the book explores a number of questions, such as: · What are our personal values and attitudes and how do these manifest in our work with clients? · How do we interact with and impact others, and in what ways might this help or hinder our therapeutic work? · What might we represent to the client as a result of our particular social background, and how might this impact on the power dynamics within client relationships? Learning features include Practical Applications, Research boxes, Case Examples, Critical Reflections, Discussion Questions and Further Reading. This is a must-read for any students studying professional practice, counselling process, ethics, skills, working online/remotely, the therapeutic relationship, and more.
The Therapeutic Use of Self is a ground-breaking examination of the individual therapist's contribution to process and outcome in counselling. Using many powerful case examples and extensive research findings from the author's own work, this book presents the counsellor's evaluation of their own practice as the main vehicle for the development of insight and awareness in to individual 'therapeutic' characteristics. It addresses many of the taboos and infrequently discussed aspects of therapy, such as: * the value of therapist failure * breaking the rules of counselling * working beyond the accepted boundaries of counselling. The Therapeutic Use of Self, will act as a spur to individual counsellors to acknowledge, develop and value their own unique contribution to the counselling profession.
The Use of Self in Therapy discusses issues of transparency and self-disclosure; how can therapists use themselves effectively in their work without transgressing on professional regulations? The authors demonstrate how to train and develop the self and person of the therapist as a powerful adjunct to successful therapy, and examine the impact of the internet and social media on the conduct of therapy.
"Most therapists, regardless of theoretical approach, intuitively recognize that their sense of self intimately influences their work. Using this elemental truth as a launching pad, Rowan and Jacobs articulate the different avenues through which the self informs therapy, and how each can be used to improve therapeutic effectiveness. Along the way the authors provide a masterful exposition of transference, countertransference, and projective identification, throwing much needed light on topics that have long been mired in controversy and confusion.The book is a priceless resource for experienced therapists and those just beginning the journey." - Professor Sheldon Cashadan, author of Object Relations Therapy and The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales "Outstandingly in the current literature, this book meets the conditions for integrative psychotherapy to fulfil its undoubted potential as the therapy pathway of the future. Much has to change in our field. First, people have to become better informed and more respectful of other traditions than their own, engaging with all kinds of taboo topics. Next, vigorous but contained dispute has to take place without having a bland synthesis as its goal. Finally, the current situation in which 'integration' runs in one direction only - humanistic and transpersonal therapists learning from psychoanalysis - has to be altered. Rowan and Jacobs, each a master in his own field, have done a wonderful collaborative job. The book's focus on what different ways of being a therapist really mean in practice guarantees its relevance for therapists of all schools (or none) and at every level." - Andrew Samuels, Professor of Analytical Psychology, University of Essex and Visiting Professor of Psychoanalytic Studies, Goldsmith's College, University of London "There is no question in psychotherapy more important than the degree to which the practitioner should be natural and spontaneous. Would it be sensible to leave one's ordinary, everyday personality behind when entering the consulting room and adopt a stance based on learned techniques? This is the question addressed by Rowan & Jacobs in The Therapist's Use of Self, approaching it from various angles and discussing the relevant ideas of different schools of thought. The authors are very well-infomred and write with admirable clarity, directness and wisdom and have made an impressive contribution to a problem to which there is no easy solution". - Dr. Peter Lomas, author of Doing Good? Psychotherapy Out of Its Depth. This book deals with what is perhaps the central question in therapy - who is the therapist? And how does that actually come across and manifest itself in the therapeutic relationship? A good deal of the thinking about this in psychoanalysis has come under the heading of countertransference. Much of the thinking in the humanistic approaches has come under such headings as empathy, genuineness, nonpossessive warmth, presence, personhood. These two streams of thinking about the therapist's own self provide much material for the bulk of the book - but other aspects of the therapist also enter the picture, including the way a therapist is trained, and uses supervision, in order to make fuller use of her or his own reactions, responses and experience in working with any one client. The book is aimed primarily at counsellors and psychotherapists, or trainees in these disciplines. It has been written in a way that is accessible to students at all levels, but it is also of particular value to existing practitioners with an interest in the problems of integration.
The Person of the Therapist Training Model presents a model that prepares therapists to make active and purposeful use of who they are, personally and professionally, in all aspects of the therapeutic process—relationship, assessment and intervention. The authors take a process that seems vague and elusive, the self-of-the-therapist work, and provide a step-by-step description of how to conceptualize, structure, and implement a training program designed to facilitate the creation of effective therapists, who are skilled at using their whole selves in their encounters with clients. This book looks to make conscious and planned use of a therapist’s race, gender, culture, values, life experience, and in particular, personal vulnerabilities and struggles in how he or she relates and works with clients. This evidence-supported resource is ideal for clinicians, supervisors, and training programs.
Designed specifically for the needs of trainees and newly-qualified therapists, Relational Integrative Psychotherapy outlines a form of therapy that prioritizes the client and allows for diverse techniques to be integrated within a strong therapeutic relationship. Provides an evidence-based introduction to the processes and theory of relational integrative psychotherapy in practice Presents innovative ideas that draw from a variety of traditions, including cognitive, existential-phenomenological, gestalt, psychoanalytic, systems theory, and transactional analysis Includes case studies, footnotes, ‘theory into practice’ boxes, and discussion of competing and complementary theoretical frameworks Written by an internationally acclaimed speaker and author who is also an active practitioner of relational integrative psychotherapy
Chapters describe how clinicians can work with what is openly discussed, and how to ascertain less conscious events and motives. A powerful clinical tool that enhances cooperation between the client and therapist, the model delineated in this volume can be used in a wide variety of settings and is easily integrated with a range of orientations. Providing complete guidelines for its clinical use, Self-Narratives is an ideal resource for psychotherapists and counselors alike. Teachers or trainers who want to educate students in self-knowledge and self-reflection will find here an ideal method for stimulating these processes.
The therapeutic relationship is considered to be the most significant factor in achieving positive therapeutic change. As such, it is essential that trainee and practising therapists are able to facilitate a strong working alliance with each of their clients. This book will help them do just that, by offering a practical and evidence-based guide to all aspects of the therapeutic relationship in counselling and psychotherapy. Cross-modal in its approach, this book examines the issues impacting on the therapeutic relationship true to all models of practice. Content covered includes: - The history of the therapeutic relationship - The place of the therapeutic relationship in a range of therapy settings, including IAPT - Concepts and practical skills essential for establishing and maintaining a successful working alliance - The application of the therapeutic relationship to a variety of professional roles in health and social care - Practice issues including potential challenges to the therapeutic relationship, working with diversity and personal and professional development - Research and new developments Using examples, points for reflection and chapter aims and summaries to help consolidate learning, the authors break down the complex and often daunting topic of the therapeutic relationship, making this essential reading for trainee and practising therapists, as well as those working in a wider range of health, social care and helping relationships.
Personification discusses the theory behind multiplicity of the person and considers the implications that the relationships between the different parts of the same person have in practice. Providing both historical and contemporary insights John Rowan reveals new thinking and research in the field, as well as offering guidelines for using this information in practice. The book also looks closely at the practice of personification – a technique involving the turning of a problem into a person and allowing a two-way dialogue through which the inner critic can be addressed and explored. As such areas of discussion include: the use of multiplicity in therapy group work and the dialogical self the transpersonal This practical, straightforward book will be ideal reading for anyone using personification in their therapeutic work, including psychotherapists, counsellors and coaches.
Eagerly awaited by many counsellors and psychotherapists, this new edition includes an updated preface, new content on recent research and new developments and debates around relational depth, and new case studies. This groundbreaking text goes to the very heart of the therapeutic meeting between therapist and client. Focusing on the concept of ′relational depth′, the authors describe a form of encounter in which therapist and client experience profound feelings of contact and engagement with each other, and in which the client has an opportunity to explore whatever is experienced as most fundamental to her or his existence. The book has helped thousands of trainees and practitioners understand how to facilitate a relationally-deep encounter, identify the personal ‘blocks’ that may be encountered along the way, and consider new therapeutic concepts – such as ′holistic listening′ – that help them to meet their clients at this level. This classic text remains a source of fresh thinking and stimulating ideas about the therapeutic encounter which is relevant to trainees and practitioners of all orientations.
