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Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment

Author(s) : David Potik

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Marsha Weinstein, MSW on 03/12/2020 18:15:01

(5 out of 5)

It has long been received wisdom in the fields of both psychotherapy and addiction treatment that psychodynamic psychotherapy is unsuitable for treating persons struggling with addiction. Happily, David Potik’s masterful Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment has come along to prove the opposite. In concise, focused and lucid chapters, Potik explains the psychodynamic mechanisms behind severe addiction. Using riveting clinical vignettes, he demonstrates how an understanding of the theories of Klein, Winnicott, and Kohut, in particular, can inform the treatment of these challenging patients, and shows that a psychodynamic perspective on object relations and self psychology is actually uniquely suited to helping these patients progress toward independent, fulfilling lives. Drawing on a breadth of theoretical knowledge and impressive clinical experience in the public sector and in private practice, Potik also integrates a discussion of the interface between psychodynamic theory and the contingency management, cognitive-behavioral, and 12-step approaches that are more typically relied upon in the treatment of individuals suffering from severe addiction. For practitioners already employing psychodynamic theories and techniques in addiction treatment, Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment provides a coherent summary and a heartening confirmation of their efforts. For those less familiar with these approaches, the book provides a fascinating introduction to them, and an encouragement to engage in psychological depth work with persons suffering from addiction. Given the increasing prevalence of opioid and other substance addictions, David Potik’s Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment is a book whose time has come.