This book explores the importance of the therapeutic relationship, the tensions or disagreements that may emerge during a therapy session, and how they can be repaired. Dr. Koenigsberg introduces a two-part transtheoretical, psycholinguistic model which focuses on the connection between ruptures and the termination phase of therapy, emphasizing the verbal and nonverbal nuances of language, to understand what is happening in the therapeutic alliance. With a reliance on psycholinguistic elements, this model can guide therapists who wish to reduce the premature termination of patients from therapy. Written in an accessible format, it provides case examples, including the patient’s and therapist’s inner experiences, and defines and describes the phases of therapy so that difficult transitions in the therapeutic process can be navigated with skill and compassion. This text is essential for providing early career as well as more seasoned therapists with excellent strategies to repair their therapeutic relationships with clients.

Working Alliance Skills for Mental Health Professionals is intended for students in counseling and for professional level practitioners interested in learning how to establish and maintain the working alliance. The book can also be targeted to the broader mental health care community, including seasoned clinical psychology professionals, training programs in counseling and clinical psychology, and students in social work.

Ruptures in the therapeutic alliance are common clinical experiences. If left unresolved, they can lead patients to drop out and to other poor outcomes.

A half-century of psychotherapy research has shown that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is the most robust predictor of treatment success. This unique book provides a systematic framework for negotiating ruptures and strains in the therapeutic alliance and transforming them into therapeutic breakthroughs. Cutting-edge developments in psychoanalysis and other modalities are synthesized with original research and clinical wisdom gleaned from years of work in the field. The result is a practical and highly sophisticated guide that spells out clear principles of intervention while at the same time inspiring therapists toward greater creativity.

Attachment theory is influencing how we understand interpersonal relationships and how psychotherapy can help facilitate change for those struggling in relationships. More recently, researchers and clinicians have applied attachment theory to group treatment, one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy to address interpersonal difficulties. This book highlights some of the bridges between attachment theory and contemporary approaches to group treatment. In addition to applying attachment theory to innovative treatments, each chapter addresses a specific way in which attachment impacts the members’ capacity for empathy and perspective taking; the development of cohesion in the group; the automatic fight-flight response during group interactions; members’ ability to tolerate diversity; and the leaders’ capacity to foster safety within the group. This book will help group leaders gain a richer understanding of attachment theory and attachment based techniques that will ultimately benefit their groups. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.

"Understanding how and why group therapy works is the subject of The Process of Group Psychotherapy: Systems for Analyzing Change. This book describes nine current approaches to analyzing group process, then applies each system to a single group psychotherapy session. The theory, methodology, and empirical support associated with each system are summarized, tracing the evolution of this growing field to its current form. A comparison of the systems illuminates the clinically relevant insights provided by each approach and is designed to spur development of group therapy process research within the field of psychotherapy research. This provocative analysis has implications for theory building and research design, as well as applications in treatment and teaching."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book focuses on problematic situations in therapy mpasses, wounding, and ruptures. Based on the author's extensive clinical experience with therapists and patients in impasses, as well as her survey questionnaire of other therapists Elkind views impasses, wounding and ruptures as unavoidable pivotal events in therapeutic relationships. She offers numerous vignettes of consultations she has provided to patients and therapists grappling with a diverse range of problems. Elkind introduces uniquely humanizing theoretical concepts such as, primary vulnerability and problematic relational modes to provide a framework for understanding and working with relational knots between therapists and patients.