Becoming a Therapist What Do I Say, and Why?

by Bender, Suzanne; Messner, Edward

• ISBN13: 9781572309432
• ISBN10: 1572309431
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-19
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This book provides students and novice clinicians with nuts-and-bolts advice about the process of doing therapy, starting with the first contact with a new patient. Suzanne Bender, a junior clinician, and Edward Messner, a seasoned practitioner and supervisor, provide a unique, combined perspective on how therapy is conducted, what works and what doesn't work in treatment, and how to take care of oneself as a clinician. Organized around the treatment of one fictitious patient, with other case examples brought in as needed, the book speaks directly to the questions, concerns, and insecurities that beginning therapists typically face. Written with candor and empathy, it offers authoritative guidance for understanding and resolving common clinical dilemmas.

Author Biography

Suzanne Bender, MD, is a Staff Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Edward Messner, MD, is a Senior Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
I. THE CONSULTATION
First Contact	9	(10)
The First Moments	19	(7)
Initiating an Alliance and Assessing Safety	26	(14)
Enhancing the Therapeutic Alliance and Eliciting History	40	(27)
Collecting a Psychosocial History and Screening for Common Psychological Disorders	67	(21)
Formulating a Treatment Plan	88	(17)
II. FRAME AND VARIATIONS
The Frame	105	(4)
Setting the Fee and Billing	109	(25)
Telephone Calls: From Dependencies to Emergencies	134	(19)
No-Shows, Late Arrivals, and Late Departures	153	(21)
Confidentiality and Its Limits	174	(23)
III. CHEMISTRY
Substance Abuse	197	(19)
Integrating Psychopharmacology with Psychotherapy	216	(19)
IV. THERAPEUTIC DILEMMAS
Management of Impasses	235	(24)
Empathic Lapses	259	(18)
Transference and Countertransference	277	(14)
Termination	291	(18)
Epilogue	309	(2)
Glossary	311	(8)
Bibliography	319	(4)
Acknowledgments	323	(2)
Index	325