Learning from Our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy [Hardcover]

Patrick Casement (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2002

This book focuses on the issue of mistakes in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy--the inevitability of making them, as far as possible how to avoid them, and what therapists can do to transform potential disasters into a means for growth in themselves as well as the patient. Further developing the creative therapeutic approach first elaborated in his classic Learning from the Patient, distinguished clinician and author Patrick Casement makes a compelling case for being open-minded rather than dogmatic in clinical practice. He shows how analysts can become blind to their own mistakes, and even more significantly, can fail to recognize when their efforts to guide or control the therapeutic process have become a problem for the patient. A wealth of evocative case material is used to illustrate how the process of internal supervision can facilitate heightened awareness of the patient's experience within the clinical encounter. Written with rare candor, this book challenges many traditional assumptions even as it affirms the healing power of psychodynamic work. It will be read with pleasure by practicing therapists as well as students and trainees.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patrick Casement's new book is a unique and rare gem. Bringing the clinical encounter alive as only he can do, Casement illustrates convincingly, and with great wisdom, a creative and flexible approach to patients, to the treatment process, and to the analyst's inevitable errors, that is invaluable to clinical work. A master class taught by a master clinician. Learning from Our Mistakes is a book that must be read by every practicing therapist."/m-/Theodore J. Jacobs, MD

"Patrick Casement, whose previous writings are now available in twenty languages, has with this book done another good deed for his fellow professionals....[Casement reminds] us of the complex realities of the clinical challenge and the demanding ethical commitments that underlie our therapeutic work."--from the Foreword by Nancy McWilliams, PhD

"In this latest book, Patrick Casement bravely tells us how his mistakes, along with his concern, propel his engagement with his patients. The book should serve as a wonderful opportunity for students to share their own errors with colleagues and teachers in the atmosphere of freedom offered by a seasoned therapist."--Arnold Goldberg, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Rush Medical College

"One of those rare works in our field that constitutes an unquestionable 'must read.' Imagine a book that treats with equal assuredness and for all levels of experience questions of how to get into the process; how to think about, avoid, and manage treatment errors; how to talk to one's colleagues about what happens with a patient; how to supervise another's work; and how to understand contemporary issues such as provision, re-enactment, touch, and impingement. For sheer wit and wisdom, this contribution by a master clinician and theoretician cannot be surpassed. Patrick Casement has outdone himself."--Estelle Shane, PhD, Los Angeles, California

About the Author

Patrick Casement, who trained with the British Association of Psychotherapists, has been a psychoanalyst and therapist in full-time private practice for many years. He is also a training and supervising analyst of the British Psycho-Analytical Society. His previous books, [i]On Learning from the Patient[/i] and [i]Further Learning from the Patient[/i], are available in one volume from Guilford as [i]Learning from the Patient[/i].

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (August 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572308176
• ISBN-13: 978-1572308176
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical-minded look at mistakes commonly encountered, November 8, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning from Our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (Hardcover)

Learning From Our Mistakes: Beyond Dogma In Psychoanalysis And Psychotherapy by practicing psychoanalyst and therapist Patrick Casement is a practical-minded look at mistakes commonly encountered in a mental healing profession, as well as what can be done to avoid them, and how to minimize or mitigate their damage. Anecdotes, issues of technique, and practical-minded reflections round out this informed and informative treatise which is especially recommended for those members of the psychotherapist community who have the needs of their patients foremost in mind.