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Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide

Author(s) : Nancy McWilliams

Reviews and Endorsements

Nancy McWilliams's new book reads like a conversation with a master therapist, addressing the most important questions about facilitating the therapeutic process. Although a psychoanalyst herself, Dr. McWilliams makes frequent, respectful references to the other major theoretical schools, and gives practical advice that will help any new or seasoned therapist acquire skills for understanding and treating clients. - Karen J. Maroda, Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Wisconsin

This book addresses a daunting range of issues. How can therapists set limits with acting-out patients? What did Freud really say about behavior change? Why should practitioners have their own psychotherapy? In an era that scorns depth psychology in favor of the quick fix, Nancy McWilliams' work is a beacon of sane reflection. She sees psychoanalysis not as a clinical specialty alone, but as an ethic - a way of thinking that both requires and makes possible the difficult path known as the examined life. This perspicacious, deeply personal work is sure to become a key text for novice and experienced therapists alike. - Deborah Anna Luepnitz, author of Schopenhauer's Porcupines

A cornucopia of wise and sensitive reflections on psychoanalytic psychotherapy. McWilliams delineates the felt core of therapeutic work shared by workers of many schools, but rarely articulated so well. She gives the beginner a 'taste of the apple' in a hands-on and feeling way, and bolsters the spirit of the old-timer, who will recognize the fruit of attentive and caring practice. - Michael Eigen, author of The Sensitive Self

Readers of McWilliams's previous books will find what they have come to expect: graceful, transparent writing; clear thinking; and a sharpshooter's aim on critical issues. Reading this book is like going on rounds with a loved and trusted professor whose teaching is conversational, collegial, and deep. McWilliams speaks her mind confidently. Her thinking embraces all the therapies derived from psychoanalysis, integrating them under the rubric of honesty. Her book fulfills the promise of its title, addressing both theory and the practical issues that often derail the work of beginners and experienced clinicians alike. This book will be an essential text for teachers of undergraduate psychology through to those in analytic institutes, and psychotherapy students of all stripes will want to read it closely. - Ann Halsell Appelbaum, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

McWilliams presents a text that will be useful to all social workers, whether or not they primarily have a psychoanalytic orientation. She provides useful information on, for example, how to develop a trusting relationship, how to overcome communication barriers, and how to deal with myriad technical problems, such as challenges to the practitioner and to the boundaries that are required in practice. Her writing style is clear, jargon-free, and full of useful examples, and she is supportive of the integration of her ideas with other approaches. A much-needed book in the social work field.
- Charles Garvin, University of Michigan

Building on the enormous popularity of her two previous texts on diagnosis and case formulation, this important work from Nancy McWilliams completes the trilogy by addressing in detail the art and science of psychodynamic treatment. McWilliams distills the essential principles of clinical practice, including effective listening and talking; transference and countertransference; emotional safety; and an empathic, attuned attitude toward the patient. The author describes the values, assumptions, and clinical and research findings that guide the psychoanalytic enterprise, and shows how to integrate elements of other theoretical perspectives when necessary. She also discusses the phases of treatment and covers such neglected topics as educating the client about the therapeutic process, handling complex challenges to boundaries, and attending to self-care. Presenting complex clinical information in personal, non-technical language enriched by in-depth clinical vignettes, this is an essential psychoanalytic work and training text for therapists.

Contents:
What Defines a Psychoanalytic Therapy? The Psychoanalytic Sensibility. The Therapist's Preparation. Preparing the Client. Boundaries I: The Frame. Basic Therapy Processes. Boundaries II: Quandaries. Molly. Donna. Ancillary Lessons of Psychoanalytic Therapy. Occupational Hazards and Gratifications. Self-Care. Appendix: Annotated Bibliography.

Author Biography:
Nancy McWilliams, PhD, teaches psychoanalytic theory and therapy at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers... The State University of New Jersey. A 1978 graduate of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, she also teaches at the Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy of New Jersey, the National Training Program in Contemporary Psychotherapy and the Minnesota Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalytic Studies.