This book serves as a wake-up call to take seriously the climate in which mental health professionals practice—in which complaints and civil actions against psychotherapists and counselors are on the increase—and to sharpen assessment skills accordingly. The contributions were chosen to simulate discussion among professionals. The individual practitioner will be prompted to think about the therapeutic frame and what can happen to both himself and the client when it is broken. Governing bodies who regulate the codes of ethics under which mental health professionals practice will also be challenged to make their codes and frameworks more relevant to the intricacies of the therapeutic relationship. The message is simple: injuries that happen in relationship need to be addressed in relationship. Table of Contents: 1) The Mirror Crack’d—Anne Kearns; 2) The Therapeutic Frame: "Good Fences Make Good Neighbours"—Anne Kearns; 3) Assessment and Risk-Management—Anne Kearns; 4) Love and Hate in the In-Between—Anne Kearns and Steven B. Smith; 5) Working Through an Impasse—Patti Owens; 6) Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire—Theresa Bernier and Anne Kearns; 7) The Courage to Be Human: A Humanistic Approach to Conflict Resolution—Bee Springwood; 8) "Everything’s fine here"–Or Is It? A Mirror on Our Training Institutions—Sue Jones; 9) Intimacy, Risk, and Reciprocity in Psychotherapy: Intricate Ethical Challenges—Tim Bond; Appendix; References; Index. About the Author: Anne Kearns is a former Chair and Teaching and Supervising member of the Gestalt Psychotherapy & Training Institute. In 1999 she founded The Growing Edge, a consortium of psychotherapists and other professionals who are interested in the development of the profession of psychotherapy through post-qualification training and consultation. Among her other books are The Seven Deadly Sins: Issues in Clinical Practice and Supervision for Humanistic and Integrative Practitioners. |