Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors' own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.

Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors' own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.

The enigma of King Herod as a cruel bloodthirsty tyrant on the one hand, and a great builder on the other is discussed in a systematic modern historical and psychological study. It seeks to unravel the contradictory historic mystery of the man and his deeds. After A. Schalit's KAnig Herodes, this study is a new comprehensive, pioneering study on the intriguing personality of Herod, also using the insights of psychology. Herod's mental state reached an acute level, consistent with the DSM-IV diagnosis for "Paranoid Personality Disorder." He grew up with an ambiguous identity and suffered from feelings of inferiority. Haunted by persecutory delusions, he executed almost any suspect of treason, including his wife and three sons. The Hebrew original text was Winner of the Ya'acov Bahat Prize for Non-Fiction Hebrew Literature for 2006.

This book deals with the complex relationship between the highest form of human activity -- creativity -- and mental illness. The heroes of this book are brilliant geniuses in various fields: three writers, four painters and three musicians. The common denominator of these figures is that they lived in Russia in the nineteenth century, a period of cultural and artistic blossoming. Besides the extraordinary creativity they had -- each in his own domain -- these great figures have another common denominator -- their tragic fate. Two committed suicide, two became disabled with severe depression, two were addicted to alcohol, and another died from the complications of brain disease. These psychopathological processes led to the decline in their creativity and to their eventual deaths. However, their struggle with their inner "demons" is also largely what gave meaning to their lives, suffering and work. The authors have demonstrated that in order to understand the nature and the complexity of their works of art, one must recognise the structure of their personalities and comprehend the various psychopathological components that affected their lives. In this book, the authors draw upon examples of many psychopathological possibilities: developmental deprivation and early loss in childhood, psychiatric disorders such as mood and psychotic disorders, the influence of organic factors like brain disease (eg: following an infection such as syphilis) or alcohol abuse, and the overall effect these factors had on the course of the subjects personal lives. It is most ironic that the artistic works of these gifted but tortured, broken souls have uplifted and inspired generations of art lovers, bringing them immense pleasure and meaning.

Ultra-orthodox Jews in Jerusalem are isolated from the secular community that surrounds them not only physically but by their dress, behaviors, and beliefs. Their relationship with secular society is characterized by social, religious, and political tensions. The differences between the ultra-orthodox and secular often pose special difficulties for psychiatrists who attempt to deal with their needs. In this book, two Western-trained psychiatrists discuss their mental health work with this community over the past two decades. With humor and affection they elaborate on some of the factors that make it difficult to treat or even to diagnose the ultra-orthodox, present fascinating case studies, and relate their observations of this religious community to the management of mental health services for other fundamentalist, anti-secular groups.