Ariadne's Thread: Case Studies in the Therapeutic Relationship [Paperback]

Eric Cowan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004 | ISBN-10: 0618370285 | ISBN-13: 978-0618370283 | Edition: 1

This casebook provides a personal account of the struggles a counselor encounters in everyday clinical practice. Each of the eight studies, thoughtfully detailed by Dr. Cowan from his own experience, illuminates the therapist/client relationship. Follow-up discussions tie each case and the therapist's technique to counseling theory and practice. A final conclusion links all cases and the related discourse together.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1 edition (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618370285
• ISBN-13: 978-0618370283
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful writing and incredibly enlightening!, September 9, 2005

By 

Devin Nordberg (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ariadne's Thread: Case Studies in the Therapeutic Relationship (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite books! It contains fascinating true tales of people you can sympathize with, enriched by the excellent mind of Eric Cowan analyzing their problems (and analyzing his own methods of counseling).

I'm just an interested lay person, but I learned tons about people's psychological problems, different strategies of therapy, and the irreducible complexity of trying to help someone. This book was so great that I'm surprised that there isn't an entire genre of "true therapy cases," because it's much more interesting and emotionally gripping than any of the books about legal battles or crime.

I especially appreciated the author's willingness to continually question and reexamine his own approaches, his boundaries with his clients, and the various philosophical approaches to therapy. You're right there with the author, puzzling over a client's problem and how to help effectively. The valuable lessons he takes from existential approaches is merely icing on the cake.

Why are you still reading this review? Buy this book now!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating read, June 14, 2005

By 

Va reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ariadne's Thread: Case Studies in the Therapeutic Relationship (Paperback)

As a practicing clinical psychologist I am always interested in how other clinicians work. This book is an excellent inside view of what happens in the consulting room of a talented therapist. Cowan is a fine writer and his understanding of the therapeutic relationship is very dimensional. He is able to communicate his insights in fresh, original language that keeps the pages turning. I couldn't put it down. Each case study is a gem, and each is followed by an analysis of the central ideas and issues that inform the therapist- client relationship. I kept thinking how I might handle my own client's similar issues from a different perspective. Cowan's talent is for relating each client's story and issues in a way that also illuminates the healing power and complex dynamics in the client-therapist encounter. The cases read like short stories and are gripping. The analysis sections are pretty dense but always enlightening (A bit much for most lay persons I would think - There is a Self psychology/Intersubjectivity theme throughout the theories sections). The section on the developmental origins of self in relation to the discussion of treatment of bulimia gave me a whole new perspective on working with these clients. What a fine training tool for the cliniciam in training, its intended audience. However, for a seasoned clinician, or even an informed lay person, this is a captivating read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping suspense, September 11, 2004

By 

NY Reader (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ariadne's Thread: Case Studies in the Therapeutic Relationship (Paperback)

Ariadne's Thread" may be about therapeutic case-studies, but it reads like a collection of short stories, each one a page-turner. Among the clients are abused children, a nymphomaniac, a married man with a secret, sleazy gay life, and a young Asian woman torn between loyalty to her parents and to her American fiancé. Even humdrum marital problems are compelling when handled by Eric W. Cowan.

Dr. Cowan's method is to examine his own doubts, assumptions and shortcomings, so that everything is called into question on both sides of the therapist-client relationship. The playing field is thus considerably leveled; the therapist is willing to be on the spot as much as the client. After a while you wonder how he can get through a day without melting down. But then you realize that all he's doing is looking at each moment with maximum clarity and attention. This is something nearly every human being can -- but usually doesn't -- do. Thus the therapist is not only listening, coaxing out the truth, but also demonstrating a way of approaching life. The reader as well as the client comes away with a new sense of how to deal with emotions, solve problems, and be free of the past.

The icing on the cake is that Dr. Cowan is a fine writer and a natural storyteller. His book is a great read -- and a life-changer.