Argues that a primal wounding of the human spirit occurs in earliest human lift that disrupts fundamental relationships and leads to anxiety, loneliness, and alienation; and shows how this wounding can be redeemed through therapy and through living one's life differently.

The primal wound is the result of a violation we all suffer in various ways, beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout life. Because we are treated not as individual, unique human beings but as objects, our intrinsic, authentic sense of self is annihilated. This primal wounding breaks the fundamental relationships that form the fabric of human existence: the relationship to oneself, to other people, to the natural world, and to a sense of transpersonal meaning symbolized in concepts such as the Divine, the Ground of Being, and Ultimate Reality. In this book, Firman and Gila apply object relations theory, self-psychology, transpersonal psychology, and psychosynthesis to the issues of psychological wounding, healing, and growth and show how this wounding can be redeemed through therapy and through changing one's way of living.

"Firman and Gila integrate important material from diverse schools of psychology and then expand it with their personal touch. The Primal Wound presents a scholarly -- yet understandable to the educated lay person -- description of some of the important dynamics of psychological wounding from a broad perspective, while also going deep into the soul and even exploring our relationship to God. There is little available on this topic and in the area of trauma psychology". -- Charles Whitfield, M.D., author of Memory and Abuse: Remembering and Healing the Wounds of Trauma

'I wish I had had not had to write this book because then my lovely son Reuben would still be alive,' says David Cohen. 'He was adorable, formidably intelligent, a loving son, a loving brother. He died far too young. He had the bad luck to have two grandparents who had addictive personalities. His efforts to resist the lure of drugs failed. And so did I.' The Book of My Son Reuben is a personal account of how psychologist David Cohen coped - and did not cope - with the death of his son, Reuben. Offering a unique perspective on the experience of parental loss, it offers a personal and analytical exploration of sorrow and guilt, and of what research tells us about trauma and grief. Illustrated throughout with David Cohen's personal insight into how he continues to navigate his loss, this honest book provides deeper understanding of loss for parents who have experienced it, as well as those who support them. The book remembers the many parents who have lost children throughout history and chapters weave personal perspectives with the latest research. It examines the experience of sudden deaths, the failures of society in preventing children from dying, the role of social media, how the loss of a child impacts fathers, siblings and relationships, and the usefulness - and not - of bereavement therapies. A tribute to Reuben's life, this sensitive volume is for those who have experienced loss and want to gain better understanding of their experience, as well as psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors working with families.

This edited collection covers the role of the process observer - a position that enhances the effectiveness of group functioning by observing the process, summarizing the behavior of the group so that the group can learn and, if needed, improve its functioning. There is little guidance on best practices for this role, and in most settings, process observers are forced to rely on whatever previous training they have received in group work to fulfil their role. The first of its kind, this book offers a wealth of resources for the role of group process observer organized in a systematic way. Each contributor focuses on a specific aspect of group process observation, identifying what is currently known on the topic, suggesting best practices, and providing the reader with tools, structures, and guidelines for effective process observation. Students and educators of group work courses will find this book integral as it covers the existing gap in literature on group process observation.

This vital, sensitive guide explains the serious issues children face online and how they are impacted by them on a developmental, neurological, social, mental health and wellbeing level. Covering technologies used by children aged two through to adulthood, it offers parents and professionals clear, evidence-based information about online harms and their effects and what they can do to support their child should they see, hear or bear witness to these events online. Catherine Knibbs, specialist advisor in the field, explains the issues involved when using online platforms and devices in family, social and educational settings. Examined in as non-traumatising a way as possible, the book covers key topics including cyberbullying; cyberstalking; pornography; online grooming; sexting; live streaming; vigilantism; suicide and self-harm; trolling and e-harassment; bantz, doxing and social media hacking; dares, trends and life-threatening activities; information and misinformation; and psychological games. It also explores the complex overlap of offline and online worlds in children and young people’s lives. Offering guidance and proactive and reactive strategies based in neuroscience and child development, it reveals how e-safety is not one size fits all and must consider individual children’s and families’ vulnerabilities. Online Harms and Cybertrauma will equip professionals and parents with the knowledge to support their work and direct conversations about the online harms that children and young people face. It is essential reading for those training and working with children in psychological, educational and social work contexts, as well as parents, policy makers and those involved in development of online technologies.

All traits were not created equal. -WORCHEL AND COOPER (1983, p. 180) This book reports the findings from extensive cross-cultural studies of the relative importance ofdifferent psychological traits in 20 countries and the relative favorability of these traits in a subset of 10 countries. While the work is devoted primarily to professionals and advanced students in the social sciences, the relatively nontechnical style - ployed should make the book comprehensible to anyone with a general grasp of the concepts and strategies ofempirical behavioral science. The project grew out of discussions between the first author and third author while the latter was a graduate student at Wake Forest University, U.S.A., in 1990. The third author, a native of Chile, was studying person-descriptive adjectives composing the stereotypes - sociatedwiththe Chilean aboriginal minority knownas Mapuche (Saiz &Williams, 1992). Asweexaminedthe adjectives usedinthisstudy, it was clear that they differed in favorability and also on another dim- sionwhichwe latertermed "psychologicalimportance," i.e., the degree to which adjectives reflected more "central," as opposed to more "- ripheral,"personality characteristics. More important descriptors were those which seemed more informative or diagnostic ofwhat a person "wasreally like"and, hence, might be ofgreater significance in und- standing and predicting an individual's behavior.

This volume of Advances in Clinical Child Psychology is the third under our editorship and the seventeenth of the series. It continues the tradition of examining a broad range of topics and issues related to the study and treatment of child and adolescent behavior problems. Over the years, the series has served to identify important and exciting new developments in the field and provide scholarly review of current thought and practices. In the openingchapter, Cichetti, Toth, and Lynch examine attachment theory and its implications for psychopathology. They provide exacting commentary on the status of the construct of attachment and its potential role in the development of diverse psychopathologies. Similarly, Richards explores the impact of infant cognitive psychophysiology and its role in normal and abnormal development in the second chapter. Both of these chapters address issues of risk for subsequent psychopathology and are deeply embedded in developmental theory. In Chapter 3/ Nottelmann and Jensen tackle the important issue of comorbidity in psychiatric diagnosis from a developmental perspective.

This book explores the practice of psychotherapy, teaching, and supervision via allegory, metaphor, and myth. Based upon the author's own extensive teaching and practice, Mark Kunkel takes the reader through a series of vignettes that are windows not only into reality, but also into the soul. The author's approach reflects his vocational commitment to an integration of conceptualization, affective involvement, and application. These allegories, parables, and myths serve to clarify and open important issues in teaching, psychotherapeutic, and clinical supervisory settings, and are intended to be allies in individual study and group discussion alike.

Seeing your child suffer in any way is a harrowing experience for any parent. Mental illness in children can be particularly draining due to the mystery surrounding it, and the issue of diagnosis at such a tender age. Depression and Your Child gives parents and caregivers a uniquely textured understanding of pediatric depression, its causes, its symptoms, and its treatments. Serani weaves her own personal experiences of being a depressed child along with her clinical experiences as a psychologist treating depressed children. Current research, treatments and trends are presented in easy to understand language and tough subjects like self-harm, suicide and recovery plans are addressed with supportive direction. Parents will learn tips on how to discipline a depressed child, what to expect from traditional treatments like psychotherapy and medication, how to use holistic methods to address depression, how to avoid caregiver burnout, and how to move through the trauma of diagnosis and plan for the future. Real life cases highlight the issues addressed in each chapter and resources and a glossary help to further understanding for those seeking additional information. Parents and caregivers are sure to find here a reassuring approach to childhood depression that highlights the needs of the child even while it emphasizes the need for caregivers to care for themselves and other family members as well.

In Practicing Prodependence: The Clinical Alternative to Codependency Treatment, Drs. Weiss and Buck present a new social and psychological model of human interdependence-focused treatment for families and loved ones of addicts. Unlike Codependence, Prodependence celebrates the human need for and pursuit of intimate connection, viewing this as a positive force for change. This strength and attachment-based model is focused on accepting and celebrating human connection in ways that are healthy and life affirming for each person - even in the face of addiction. In this way, Prodependence presents a new paradigm through which loved ones can learn to love more effectively, without bearing shame or judgment for the valuable help they give. This book will assist counselors, therapists, and addiction professionals in improving the ways they treat loved ones of addicts and other troubled people, teaching readers how to offer clients more dignity for their suffering than blame for the problem.

"Rik Cheston is one of the pioneers of psychotherapy in dementia. This book integrates his clinical expertise and research, and is brought vividly to life by Rik's personal reflections and case examples drawn from his vast experience [...] this book will be one that I keep coming back to and share." Dr Emma Wolverson, Clinical Psychologist, Senior Lecturer in Ageing and Dementia, Research Lead Dementia, UK "This is a thoughtful and, at times, provocative book, providing knowledge and insights from theoretical and practical perspectives [...] Cheston has set out to challenge you; which he does extremely well." Professor Ian Andrew James, Innovations Team, CNTW NHS Trust and honorary professor at the University of Bradford, UK "In this brilliant and timely book, Richard Cheston [...] draws upon [...] over 30 years of insightful clinical practice to discuss not only psychotherapy but a whole lot more. The book is lucidly written so can be valuable not only to specialists but to anyone whose work or personal life brings them into contact with dementia. Actually, that's most of us." Tom Dening, Professor of Dementia Research, Mental Health & Clinical Neurosciences, University of Nottingham, UK "The author joins the dots between scientific understanding, clinical practice and lived experience in a consummate, compassionate way, resulting in a book that is a 'must read'. Everyone involved in delivering psychotherapeutic care to those living with dementia should have it on their shelf." Jan R Oyebode, Professor of Dementia Care, Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, University of Bradford, UK "This is a clear, accessible and beautifully written legacy of psychotherapeutic endeavour in dementia care [...] This book is a seminal text for all who are committed to continually improving their practice in person-centred dementia care." Esme Moniz-Cook Professor Emerita (Clinical Psychology, Ageing and Dementia Care), University of Hull, UK. Founder Chair, now board member INTERDEM. There is little opportunity for people living with dementia to talk about their experiences and what is happening to them. This often makes it harder for them to adjust to, and to accept, the diagnosis. Dementia and Psychotherapy Reconsidered introduces a new and distinctive way of thinking about dementia. Each of the four sections is augmented with examples from the author's 30 years of clinical and research experience and offers an accessible approach from mainstream psychotherapeutic and psychological frameworks that: * Places dementia into a psychological context of loss, threat and change * Addresses the research and clinical evidence underpinning psychotherapy; whether this is delivered to individuals, couples or groups * Sets out a model of adjustment to dementia and outlines how talking about dementia needs to be tailored to the stage of change * Explores how psychotherapy and counselling can be adapted to accommodate the client's cognitive changes and why we need to acknowledge that talking about dementia is not always possible or desirable Dementia and Psychotherapy Reconsidered is applicable not only to psychotherapists and counsellors, but to clinicians and families who are supporting people living with dementia post-diagnosis and want to find new ways of talking about their experiences. The dementia field has developed rapidly in its scope and practice over the past 10 years, the Reconsidering Dementia Series is a unique and innovative series published by Open University Press applicable to all audiences. Series Editors: Keith Oliver and Dawn Brooker. Richard Cheston worked as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS before becoming Professor of Dementia Research at the University of the West of England,

In The Clinical Comprehension of Meaning, Carlos Tabbia addresses fundamental questions of psychoanalytic theory and technique, unfolding them for the reader in an elegant, passionate, and poetic style. This book illustrates three pillars of a psychoanalytic clinic: the structure of the personality, the development of thought, and the ability to foster close relationships with clients. These three pillars show the conditions for the creation of meanings and the difficulties that can be manifested in fanatical functioning, psychosomatic disorders and dreaming, as well as isolation and boredom in adolescents. Using clinical vignettes throughout, Tabbia also analyses the issues surrounding the establishment of an intimate relationship, as well as the issues psychoanalysts must face within themselves. Throughout the volume, Tabbia looks to the work of Bion, Meltzer, Freud, and Klein as well as philosophers such as Plato, Wittgenstein, Russell, Max Scheler, Levinas and others such as poets and painters. Including a prologue by Alberto Hahn and translated into English for the first time, this seminal text will be of interest to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, as well students and candidates undertaking psychoanalytic training.

1. Applies William Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job to issues in contemporary analysis, therapy and addiction recovery. 2. Brings Blakean theory into the 21st century by linking to recent collective experiences. 3. Applies the work of eminent analysts such as Bion, Winnicott and Hillman, as well as Jung, Bohm and Whitehead to his theories.

This publication encapsulates the work of this highly respected British therapist. "Precision Therapy" is an extremely practical book that describes how to initiate healing processes. It is eclectic in nature and free from dogma and jargon. The book is designed for the therapist-healer who does not have the need, the time or the inclination to subject clients to protracted mind games. Its practicality is illustrated in the training material: each page is a script or a prompt-sheet that can be adapted easily to deal effectively with most problems in a matter of hours rather than weeks or months. It is a comprehensive manual of fast, effective hypnoanalytic techniques designed for the professional.

A psychotherapist and long-time acquaintance of Albert Ellis presents a biography of one of the leading contributors to the theory and practice of modern psychotherapy. Ellis, a prodigious writer, has been a center of controversy for his writings on sex, and for his development and advocacy of rational-emotive therapy. Wiener provides good insights into how ideas are shaped by a scientist's personal characteristics. "Choice"

The volume is fascinating: Ellis is and has been outspoken and intellectually stimulating to listeners on his favorite topic: how to live well'. "Psychological ReportS"

This fascinating study portrays Ellis as a living model of his own therapy. The author details how Albert Ellis arrived his theories through his need to find a way of handling his own psychologically neglected childhood and adolescence. Drawing upon the recollections of Ellis' brother, childhood friends, Ellis himself, his associates and companions, former students and patients, and Ellis' autobiographical notes and correspondence, Wiener presents an account of the man who, during the mid-fifties, revolutionized psychotherapy with a more direct, active style of treatment. Ellis maintained that a person gains nothing by considering and treating himself as if he had been victimized. Rather, the person needs immediately to start changing himself by adopting a different, more objective attitude toward his problem. This alternative to psychoanalysis is termed RET, or Rational Emotive Therapy, and is a direct forerunner of the behavioral cognitive therapy approach.

Freud's collection of antiquities-his "old and dirty gods"-stood as silent witnesses to the early analysts' paradoxical fascination and hostility toward religion. Pamela Cooper-White argues that antisemitism, reaching back centuries before the Holocaust, and the acute perspective from the margins that it engendered among the first analysts, stands at the very origins of psychoanalytic theory and practice. The core insight of psychoanalytic thought- that there is always more beneath the surface appearances of reality, and that this "more" is among other things affective, memory-laden and psychological-cannot fail to have had something to do with the experiences of the first Jewish analysts in their position of marginality and oppression in Habsburg-Catholic Vienna of the 20th century. The book concludes with some parallels between the decades leading to the Holocaust and the current political situation in the U.S. and Europe, and their implications for psychoanalytic practice today. Covering Pfister, Reik, Rank, and Spielrein as well as Freud, Cooper-White sets out how the first analysts' position as Europe's religious and racial "Other" shaped the development of psychoanalysis, and how these tensions continue to affect psychoanalysis today. Old and Dirty Gods will be of great interest to psychoanalysts as well as religious studies scholars.

Develop a practical and comprehensive view of professional ethics In the newly updated Second Edition of Positive Ethics for Mental Health Professionals: A Proactive Approach, distinguished psychologists Drs. Sharon K. Anderson and Mitchell M Handelsman deliver an insightful guide for mental health professionals and trainees to stregthen and/or develop their professional and ethical identities. Utilizing the same informal and inviting tone of the first edition, Anderson and Handelsman share the literature and provide positive discussions, exercises, case scenarios, and writing assignments, to help you explore and develop your ethical core. You'll also develop your self-reflective skills to learn how to make excellent ethical choices regarding psychotherapy and couseling. This edition of the book also offers: An introduction of the idea of "tripping points", or predictable pitfalls, when making ethical choices. Discussions of nonrational factors in ethical decision-making, including biases, heuristics, and emotional influences. A renewed focus on ethical acculturation, which emphasizes the importance of your own background in the development of your ethical identity. Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students studying psychotherapy and mental health counseling, Positive Ethics for Mental Health Professionals, will also earn a place in the libraries of mental health practitioners seeking a primer on the complicated ethical issues that inevitably arise in their practices- and how to prepare for them and navigate them.

Disability evaluations are the most common clinical mental health evaluations conducted for nontreatment purposes. They place mental health professionals in the role of communicating information that is typically confidential to administrative and legal systems. Unfortunately, mental health professionals receive little to no training in conducting assessments that focus on disability and disability management, and often do not understand the implications and risks of providing this information, especially without conducting what are often specialized evaluations. Clinical Guide to Mental Health Disability Evaluations is geared for general mental health practitioners, providing them with the basic information needed to competently provide the various types of disability evaluations. It also provides enough information to inform forensic mental health providers in conducting more specialized evaluations.

In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces - extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, and their major practical theoretical contributions. In this volume: Overweight and obesity rates have increased dramatically in most industrialized countries, even though more and more people are chronically dieting. Dieters can manage to lose substantial amounts of weight while actively dieting, but most regain it within a few years. So why do most chronic dieters have such difficulty controlling their weight and why is there only a small minority of successful dieters? To address these questions, Stroebe developed the goal conflict model of eating behavior, a social cognitive theory that attributes the difficulty of chronic dieters to a conflict between two incompatible goals: eating enjoyment and weight control. Although chronic dieters are motivated to pursue their weight control goal, most fail in food-rich environments: Surrounded by palatable food cues that activate thoughts of eating enjoyment, incompatible weight control thoughts are inhibited and weight control intentions are "forgotten". For successful dieters - probably due to past success in exerting self-control - tasty high-calorie food has become associated with weight control thoughts. For them, exposure to palatable food makes weight control thoughts more accessible, enabling them to control their body weight in food-rich environments. This book contains the key articles of a research program by Stroebe and collaborators to assess the validity of this theory. They succeeded in tracing the processes that lead from temptation to a breakdown of dieting intentions. They also demonstrated that these theoretical principles can be used to develop effective weight loss interventions. The book should be of value for all researcgers, students and clinicians involved in obesity research and treatment.

As the average length of therapy shortens, clinicians need a resource to lead them step-by-step through the goals and process of the opening sessions of brief therapy as well as clear treatment maps for the most common presenting problems. This resource helps clinicians do just that and more, including doing a quick assessment and isolating and addressing the underlying emotional wounds that prevent families and couples from solving problems on their own. Readers will not only learn how to "think brief," they will also discover how to navigate the session process in an interactive and action-oriented way, even with clients who are in high-pressure, crisis situations.

This unique treatise expands on the philosophy of technology to argue for a psychology of technology based on the complex relationships between psychology, biology and technology, especially in the light of our relationships with our digital devices, our online lives, and our human experience. Drawing from disciplines ranging from philosophy and evolution to cognition and neuroscience, it examines myriad aspects of the brain's creative development: the cognitive, sensory, and motor processes that enable technological progress and its resulting efficiencies and deficiencies along with our discomforts and pleasures. These experiences are key to behavioral and affective processes in technology, manifest in such diverse phenomena as multitasking, the shift in tech design from ergonomics to hedonomics, and the many types of online problem behaviors. Through these rich pages, readers can understand more deeply the history and future of human adjustment and adaptation in an environment intertwined with technology-and, with the ascendance of video games and virtual reality, new conceptions of the human self. Among the topics covered: Could we have remained a tech-devoid society? Technology, ergonomics and the non-executive functions of our body. New directions in brain-computer interface. From avatars and agents to virtual reality technology.< On measuring affective responses to objects. Psychology, technology, ethics, and culture. A timely lens on a field that will grow in importance as it shapes our existence, Psychology of Technology will be read and discussed by not only psychologists, social scientists, and behavioral scientists, but also by technology designers and developers and those in biotechnology.

This handbook examines evidence-based treatment of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders for a broad clinical audience. Focusing on both children and adults with these conditions, it discusses various manifestations of OCD (e.g., contamination, perfectionism), related conditions (e.g., hoarding, trichotillomania, and Tourette syndrome), and cases with complicating factors. Chapters describe case specifics, offer assessment guidelines, and illustrate evidence-based psychotherapy. Case examples depict real-life complexities of presentation, notably in terms of comorbid conditions and hard-to-treat subpopulations. Topical areas addressed in the Handbook include: Phenomenology, assessment, and treatment of multiple types of OCD in adults and children. Treating "not just right experiences" in children with OCD. Treating obsessive compulsive disorder in very young children. Treatment of OCD comorbid with other disorders like depression and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Treatment of OCD when presenting with complicating factors like limited insight, extreme family accommodation, and poor motivation. The Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders is an essential resource for clinicians and professionals as well as researchers, and graduate students in clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling programs, pediatrics, public health, and related disciplines.