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Drawing on concepts from Freud to Kohut, the authors of this volume
remove the pathological stigma of homosexuality per se, a
theoretical bias that may have long prevented dynamic therapists
from working more effectively with gay clients. The authors manage
to weave sophisticated theory with specific, pragmatic advice that
is readily applicable in the first session of therapeutic work.
Traditional analytic topics such as resistance, interpretation, and
countertransference are all thoughtfully discussed as they apply
specifically to the gay client. Given the immense contemporary
popularity of object relations theory, readers will particularly
welcome such unique contributions as the chapter on borderline
personality disorder and the gay client. Case vignettes appear
throughout the book and these are immensely helpful in putting a
client's sexual orientation within the context of total personality
organization. The contributions strike a nice balance. On the one
hand, the concerns of the gay client are "normalized", that is,
placed within the general framework of issues all clients face,
such as social sex roles, self-esteem, and identity cohesion. On
the other hand, specialized issues such as the gay client's
motivation for treatment, the effects of a patient's HIV status,
and the relative merits of a gay client seeing a gay vs. a
heterosexual therapist are all covered in depth... The historical
material carefully traces the myriad of theoretical justifications
that have been used to demonstrate the supposed inevitably
pathological nature of homosexuality. These sections serve as an
important, if unpleasant, reminder that well-intentioned people
often use "scientific theory" to preservethe societal status quo,
with potentially disastrous effects on the individual. The authors
show how theory, particularly Kohutian conceptualizations of
narcissism, may also be used to provide an affirmative therapeutic
stance that emphasizes normal, not pathological developmental
processes. In so doing, this book addresses and provides an
antidote for one of the unfortunate pitfalls of psychodynamic
psychotherapy. In short, analytic theory and technique may often,
perhaps inadvertently, be utilized in a manner that is quite
pejorative toward the patient. This book is clearly a unique and
long overdue resource that helps bring the wisdom and potential
effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy to a specific patient
population traditionally viewed as untreatable. In a broader sense,
it provides valuable reading for clinicians of all experience
levels working with all clients who suffer the understandable and
universal reaction of shame as a response to sustained injuries to
self-esteem.
Mental health professionals often struggle to understand
spirituality and the role it plays in their clients' lives. Many
therapists would like to take spiritual issues into account, and to
incorporate them, as they do with other areas of patients' lives,
into their overall approach, but feel they lack the training or
competency to do so effectively.
In this concise, thoughtful, and practical book, clinician
Carlton Cornett describes how to integrate the issues of
spirituality into everyday practice.
Cornett addresses the needs of therapists and counselors who
treat both clients committed to their religious beliefs, and those
who initially might not identify spirituality as an area of
struggle, but for whom spiritual issues are real, yet hidden,
sources of distress. He shows therapists how to open the door to
the spiritual dimension in their work through cases from his
practice, and demonstrates the impact and relevance of religion and
spirituality on the clinical process.
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