Ringstrom's relational approach to couples therapy is based on three themes: actualization of self-experience in the context of a committed, long-term intimate relationship; mutual recognition of each partner's subjective experience; and the relationship itself having "a mind of its own." These themes are further elaborated in six nonlinear steps, each presented as a whole chapter with clinical illustrations and concluding with practical principle guidelines for their employment in therapy. These steps include addressing the therapist's attuning to the partners' "hopes and dreads," honoring each one's unique perspective, exploring the developmental history of each partner, examining their conflictual pasts and engaging in enactments, enriching self-realization, and facilitating mutual attunement and personal growth. The book concludes with a user-friendly chapter of "frequently asked questions" and answers about this novel relational approach to couples therapy. --- from the publisher Contents: Prologue. Introduction: Three Main Themes. Theoretical Perspectives. Step 1: The Therapist's Attunement. Step 2: The Assertion of Subjectivities. Step 3: The Exploration of Developmental History. Step 4: The Awakening of the "Slumbering Giant." Step 5: The Enrichment of Self-Actualization. Step 6: The Facilitation of Mutual Attunement and Personal Growth. Frequently Asked Questions. About the Author: Philip Ringstrom, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a Senior Training and Supervising Analyst and faculty member at the Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, CA. He is a member of the editorial boards of both the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology and Psychoanalytic Dialogues. He is also a member of the International Council of Self Psychologists, and on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
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