Sexual Orientation and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Sexual Orientation and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Author: Richard C. Friedman
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2008
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0231120575

This book bridges psychoanalytic thought and sexual science. It brings sexuality back to the center of psychoanalysis and shows how important it is for students of human sexuality to understand motives that are often irrational and unconscious. The authors present a new perspective about male and female development, emphasizing the ways in which sexual orientation and homophobia appear early in life. The clinical section of the book focuses on the psychodynamics and treatment of homophobia and internalized homophobia.

Sexualities

Sexualities
Author: Alessandra Lemma
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2015-06-05
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317501500

Sexualities: Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspectives presents a broad selection of contemporary psychoanalytic thinking on sexuality from a wide range of psychoanalytic traditions. Sexuality remains at the heart of much psychoanalytic theory and practice but it is a complex and controversial subject. Edited by Alessandra Lemma and Paul E. Lynch, this volume includes a range of international contributions that examine contemporary issues and trace common themes needed to understand any sexuality, including the basics of sexuality, and the myriad ways in which sexuality is lived. The clinical examples provided here demonstrate contemporary psychoanalytic techniques that uncover meanings that are both fresh and enlightening, and address heterosexuality, homosexuality, gender, and perversion from a psychoanalytic perspective. Divided into four parts, the book includes the following: Historical context Foundational concepts: Contemporary elaborations Homosexuality Perversion revisited Throughout Sexualities: Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspectives the reader will find psychoanalytic wisdom that is transferrable to work with patients of all sexualities, and will see that the essentials of sexuality may be more similar than they are different for homo- and hetero-sexuality. Psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists, as well as academics interested in the subjects of psychoanalysis, gender, sexuality, or homosexuality will find this book an invaluable resource. Alessandra Lemma, PhD is Director of the Psychological Therapies Development Unit at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. She is a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytic Society and Visiting Professor in the Psychoanalysis Unit, University College London. She is a Consultant Adult Psychotherapist at the Portman Clinic where she specializes in working with transsexuals. She has published extensively on psychoanalysis, the body and trauma. Paul E. Lynch, MD is on the faculty of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, and the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance. He teaches about psychoanalysis, gender, and sexuality, and has been a popular speaker on issues of homosexuality and psychoanalysis. He is also a Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man

Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man
Author: Jack Drescher
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2014-05-22
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 131777132X

Do the conventional insights of depth psychology have anything to offer the gay patient? Can contemporary psychoanalytic theory be used to make sense of gay identities in ways that are helpful rather than hurtful, respectful rather than retraumatizing? In Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man Jack Drescher addresses these very questions as he outlines a therapeutic approach to issues of sexual identity that is informed by traditional therapeutic goals (such as psychological integration and more authentic living) while still respecting, even honoring, variations in sexual orientation. Drescher's exploration of the subjectivities of gay men in psychoanalytic psychotherapy is more than a long-overdue corrective to the inadequate and often pathologizing tomes of traditional psychoanalytic writers. It is a vitally human testament to the richly varied inner experiences of gay men. Drescher does not assume that sexual orientation is the entire or even major focus of intensive psychotherapy. But he does argue, passionately and convincingly, that issues of sexual identity - which encompass a spectrum of possibilities for any gay man - must be addressed in an atmosphere of honest encounter that allows not only for exploration of conflict and dissociation but also for restitutive confirmation of the patient's right to be himself. Through its abundance of first-person testimony from both clinical and literary sources, Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man provides the reader with an unforgettable grasp of what it is like to discover that one is gay in our society and then to find the courage and humanity to live with that knowledge. Any mental health professional - regardless of his or her sexual orientation - who wishes to deal therapeutically with gay men will find Drescher's work indispensable. But it will also be compelling reading for anyone seeking psychological insight into gay men's lives and concerns.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic Therapy
Author: Richard F. Summers
Publisher: Guilford Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2012-11-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1462509703

Presenting a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to conducting psychodynamic therapy, this engaging guide is firmly grounded in contemporary clinical practice and research. The book reflects an openness to new influences on dynamic technique, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and positive psychology. It offers a fresh understanding of the most common problems for which patients seek help -- depression, obsessionality, low self-esteem, fear of abandonment, panic, and trauma -- and shows how to organize and deliver effective psychodynamic interventions. Extensive case material illustrates each stage of therapy, from engagement to termination. Special topics include ways to integrate individual treatment with psychopharmacology and with couple or family work.

Male Homosexuality

Male Homosexuality
Author: Richard C. Friedman
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 326
Release: 1990-03-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780300047455

Discusses gender identity, homosexuality, as arrested development, sexual preference, character pathology, masochism, sexual fantasy, and psychoanalysis

Psychotherapy with African American Women

Psychotherapy with African American Women
Author: Leslie C. Jackson
Publisher: Guilford Press
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2000-07-11
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9781572305854

Focusing on the breadth of issues that affect psychotherapy with African American women, this unique volume is designed to help clinicians develop a broader understanding of what is useful and what is problematic when applying psychodynamic concepts to their clients. From an array of seasoned clinicians, chapters present innovative and creative reformulations of theory and technique that build upon and challenge existing models. Issues addressed include the psychological dilemmas confronting diverse African American women as they negotiate a society that is hostile to them on multiple levels; how ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and other differences come into play within the therapeutic dyad; and approaches to unraveling the complex interplay of sociopolitical, intrapsychic, and interpersonal concerns in treatment. Filled with illustrative clinical material and pointers for practice, the volume will enhance the cultural competence of mental heath practitioners and students across a range of disciplines.

Falling Through the Cracks

Falling Through the Cracks
Author: Joan Berzoff
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2012
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 023115108X

Psychodynamic theory and practice are often misunderstood as appropriate only for the worried well or for those whose problems are minimal or routine. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book shows how psychodynamically informed, clinically based social care is essential to working with individuals whose problems are both psychological and social. Each chapter addresses populations struggling with structural inequities, such as racism, classism, and discrimination based on immigrant status, language differences, disability, and sexual orientation. The authors explain how to provide psychodynamically informed assessment and practice when working with those suffering from mental illness, addiction, homelessness, and cognitive, visual, or auditory impairments, as well as people in prisons, in orphanages, and on child welfare. The volume supports the idea that becoming aware of ourselves helps us understand ourselves: a key approach for helping clients contain and name their feelings, deal with desire and conflict, achieve self-regulation and self-esteem, and alter attachment styles toward greater agency and empowerment. Yet autonomy and empowerment are not birthrights; they are capacities that must be fostered under optimal clinical conditions. This collection uses concepts derived from drive theory, ego psychology, object relations, trauma theory, attachment theory, self psychology, relational theories, and intersubjectivity in clinical work with vulnerable and oppressed populations. Contributors are experienced practitioners whose work with vulnerable populations has enabled them to elicit and find common humanity with their clients. The authors consistently convey respect for the considerable strength and resilience of the populations with whom they work. Emphasizing both the inner and social structural lives of client and clinician and their interacting social identities, this anthology uniquely realizes the complexity of clinical practice with diverse populations.

Group Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Group Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Author: Giorgio A. Tasca
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9781433833618

This book presents a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment that combines individual case formulation with group interventions informed by contemporary psychodynamic and interpersonal theories. Designed as a manual for training and teaching, this book shows how group psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy (GPIP) practitioners combine knowledge of the interpersonal factors that underlie each patient's symptoms, with a sound understanding of group process theory and stages of group development, to effect real and lasting change. Chapters include a wealth of hands-on tools including practice guides, self-study quizzes, clinical vignettes, and reflective questions. The authors also provide instructions on process and progress monitoring, which allows therapists to access timely feedback about the functioning of the group and each patient, improving their outcomes by highlighting what is working and what needs to change.

Cyclical Psychodynamics and the Contextual Self

Cyclical Psychodynamics and the Contextual Self
Author: Paul L. Wachtel
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2014-04-03
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317743296

Cyclical Psychodynamics and the Contextual Self articulates in new ways the essential features and most recent extensions of Paul Wachtel's powerfully integrative theory of cyclical psychodynamics. Wachtel is widely regarded as the leading advocate for integrative thinking in personality theory and the theory and practice of psychotherapy. He is a contributor to cutting edge thought in the realm of relational psychoanalysis and to highlighting the ways in which the relational point of view provides especially fertile ground for integrating psychoanalytic insights with the ideas and methods of other theoretical and therapeutic orientations. In this book, Wachtel extends his integration of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, systemic, and experiential viewpoints to examine closely the nature of the inner world of subjectivity, its relation to the transactional world of daily life experiences, and the impact on both the larger social and cultural forces that both shape and are shaped by individual experience. Here, he discusses in a uniquely comprehensive fashiong the subtleties of the clinical interaction, the findings of systematic research, and the role of social, economic, and historical forces in our lives. The chapters in this book help to transcend the tunnel vision that can lead therapists of different orientations to ignore the important discoveries and innovations from competing approaches. Explicating the pervasive role of vicious circles and self-fulfilling prophecies in our lives, Cyclical Psychodynamics and the Contextual Self shows how deeply intertwined the subjective, the intersubjective, and the cultural realms are, and points to new pathways to therapeutic and social change. Both a theoretical tour de force and an immensely practical guide to clinical practice, this book will be essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and students of human behavior of all backgrounds and theoretical orientations.