This revised, updated, and expanded edition of a classic primer of countertransference and counterresistance reflects changes in contemporary psychotherapy and new situations that face therapists. The clinical blunders, chosen to convey the interpsychic, intrapsychic, and human aspect of the therapeutic dyad, illustrate a variety of dilemmas in an accessible form, and they now also address how supervisors react to their own countertransferences. Countertransference and counterresistance are universal, and this edition, like its predecessor, makes an absolute case for therapists to undergo a real, personal analysis. The 101 examples of therapeutic blunders and 11 supervisory blunders are presented simply, dramatically and often humorously, so that therapists of all persuasions can understand them.

101 Common Therapeutic Bluders: Countertransference and Counterresistance in psychotheraphy.

A brief primer of essential helping skills for students and professionals in the helping professions, this book contains a brief chapter on theory that provides an overview of the language used in therapy as well as the various approaches used.

This book delves into risks that can easily bedevil any psychotherapist and what can happen if they are ignored. Dramatic storytelling, based on actual incidents from the author’s experiences as a member of ethics committees and as an ethics teacher and consultant, explores actions prompting clients to issue formal complaints. Set in the context of an ethics committee meeting over the course of a weekend, twelve psychologists face their peers who will stand in judgment. Issues include the fallout from losing one’s temper with a difficult client, a personal disclosure gone terribly wrong, a bartering arrangement that literally falls apart, a private life revealed in a most public way, a vengeful act that sullies the reputation of an entire department, breaking confidentiality when a client threatened harm, and the slippery slope to sexual exploitation. The stories are absorbing, enlightening, sometimes shocking, and often stranger than fiction. Narrative nonfiction puts human faces and emotions on what would otherwise be cursory statistics. What led to the formal complaint from both the vantage point of the complainant and the psychologist offers insights not otherwise available unless the dynamics of their private lives leading up to the conflict are revealed. An author’s commentary and discussion questions follow every story. Both new and seasoned practitioners, as well as those still in training, will find this to be an invaluable resource.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.