Touch in Psychotherapy Theory, Research, and Practice

by Smith, Edward W. L.; Clance, Pauline Rose; Imes, Suzanne

• ISBN13: 9781572302693
• ISBN10: 1572302690
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-12-19
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

As a therapist, do you ever shake hands with a client? Do you ever lightly touch a client's hand or shoulder as a conversational marker? What happens if you inadvertently touch a client? Nonerotic touch is a powerful form of communication, and research and clinical experience indicate that it can contribute to positive therapeutic change when used appropriately. This thoughtful book brings together experienced clinicians to review the research and to offer ethical, theoretical, and practical guidelines for using nonerotic touch in therapy settings. Featuring extensive clinical commentary and case examples, chapters address such topics as evaluating a client's desire to be touched, working with survivors of sexual abuse, the role of touch in regression and reparenting approaches, communicating with clients about the use of touch, and managing "touch errors."

Author Biography

Edward W. L. Smith, PhD, ABPP, is a professor of psychology and Coordinator of Clinical Training at Georgia Southern University. Widely published, he has offered professional training in psychotherapy in the US and internationally. He is a former chair of the Training Committee of the American Academy of Psychotherapists, and a fellow of the Georgia Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.

Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, ABPP, is a professor of psychology at Georgia State University, where she teaches psychotherapy and supervises students who are seeing clients in the GSU Psychology Clinic. Former chair of the GSU Clinical Psychology Program, she maintains a private practice with individuals, couples, and groups, is an associate editor of the Gestalt Review, and serves on the editorial boards of Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice and the Journal of Couples Therapy.

Suzanne Imes, PhD, is a psychologist in independent practice in Atlanta, specializing in body-oriented Gestalt therapy. She is an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at Georgia State University, where she supervises advanced clinical psychology graduate students. She is cofounder and director of the Gestalt Institute of Georgia, a fellow of the Georgia Psychological Association, and a former chair of that association's Women's Division.

Table of Contents

I. THEORETICAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Traditions of Touch in Psychotherapy	3	(13)
Edward W. L. Smith
Touch in Context	16	(20)
Les Kertay
Susan L. Reviere
A Taxonomy and Ethics of Touch in Psychotherapy	36	(16)
Edward W. L. Smith
A Rationale for Physical Touching in Psychotherapy	52	(7)
Reuven Bar-Levav
II. RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES
Research on Communication by Touch	59	(15)
Joen Fagan
Alma Smith Silverthorn
Differences between Therapists Who Touch and Those Who Do Not	74	(18)
Judy Milakovich
Therapists' Recall of Their Decision-Making Processes Regarding the Use of Touch in Ongoing Psychotherapy: A Preliminary Study	92	(17)
Pauline Rose Clance
Vicki J. Petras
The Experience of Nonerotic Physical Contact in Traditional Psychotherapy	109	(18)
Pamela Geib
Further Research on the Patient's Experience of Touch in Psychotherapy	127	(18)
Judith Horton
III. INSIGHTS FROM PRACTICE
Thoughts on Using Touch in Psychotherapy	145	(8)
Joen Fagan
An Individualized and Interactive Object Relations Perspective on the Use of Touch in Psychotherapy	153	(17)
Cheryl Glickauf-Hughes
Susan Chance
Long-Term Clients' Experience of Touch in Gestalt Therapy	170	(31)
Suzanne Imes
Touch and Clients Who Have Been Sexually Abused	201	(10)
Suzann Smith Lawry
The Impact of Physical Touch on Professional Development	211	(9)
David Mandelbaum
Jean's Legacy: On the Use of Physical Touch in Long-Term Psychotherapy	220	(19)
Pamela Torraco
Index	239