Virtually every mental health professional has worked with patients who are overly dependent -- patients who have trouble asserting themselves within and outside therapy, alienate others with a pervasive pattern of clinging insecurity, and undermine their social and work relationships with frequent requests for help and reassurance. Such patients have always presented unique treatment challenges for therapists, but in today's managed care-driven environment, with its emphasis on time-limited therapy and cost-effective treatment, the overly dependent patient can be even more challenging.
Robert F. Bornstein received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1986, completed an internship at the Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY, and is Professor of Psychology at Adelphi University. Dr. Bornstein has published more than 150 articles and book chapters on personality dynamics, diagnosis, and treatment. His research has been funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation, and he received the American Psychological Association's 2005 Theodore Millon Award for Excellence in Personality Research.
Mary A. Languirand received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1987, and completed an internship in clinical geropsychology at the R. H. Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Languirand is coauthor of The Thinking Skills Workbook (Charles C. Thomas, 1980, 1984, 2000), a treatment manual for cognitive remediation in older adults. She now practices full-time in Long Island, NY, providing clinical services to individuals and families, and consulting to multidisciplinary professional teams in skilled nursing facilities.
The authors are married and live in Westbury, NY. They are also the authors of Healthy Dependency: Leaning on Others Without Losing Yourself (Newmarket Press, 2003).
