The Little Psychotherapy Book: Object Relations in Practice

Aimed at beginning therapists and those new to object relations, this concise work introduces the reader to the practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy from an object relations (O-R) perspective in a dynamic and easy-to-follow way. One of the four main schools of psychodynamic psychotherapy, O-R is regarded as particularly challenging, both conceptually and practically. The book presents object relations in a clear and concise manner that makes it especially applicable for regular use in the clinical setting. Moreover, the author writes in a narrative style similar to actual psychotherapy supervision; dialogues between a therapist and a fictitious patient appear throughout the book to illustrate common clinical situations. Designed to complement actual training in psychotherapy, the book suggests ways in which the therapist can incorporate object relations tools with other forms of therapy, regardless of the clinical setting. Ideal for students, trainees, and clinicians in psychiatry, psychology, social work, family medicine, and psychiatric nursing, The Little Psychotherapy Book will prove invaluable for any reader seeking a helpful and succinct introduction to object relations in psychotherapy.

About the Author :
Allan Frankland is Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, and Staff Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Outpatient Department, Vancouver General Hospital

Review :
"This is a wonderfully practical and accessible book on conducting psychotherapy from an object relations perspective...The Little Psychotherapy Book is a useful text for all students of psychotherapy who want to learn the basics of object relations theory and how to incorporate this approach into their treatments." --American Journal of Psychiatry "Throughout the text, Dr Frankland successfully demysti-fies technical terms...His use of the same case throughout the book provides simplicity and continuity, and transcripts that illustrate the progression of the case over time are annotated with descriptions of the therapist's use of techniques such as confrontation, clarification, and interpretation...this book is recommended for therapy trainees who are interested in relational psychodynamic approaches and concerned with putting these seemingly abstract concepts into "real world" practice." --Psychiatric Times "I like brief texts that are to the point and this is clearly one of them. This little book will be useful for clinicians trying to learn the tools of the psychotherapy trade (especially object relations) together with some basic understanding of the theoretical underpinnings...Many experienced clinicians not familiar with the practice of object relations will find it quite useful as a guide for dealing with patients having serious interpersonal/ relationship difficulties, such as the proverbial borderline personality disorder patients." --ANNALS OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY "The text explains everything, not leaving anything out and not taking the reader for granted.... I like brief texts that are to the point and this is clearly one of them. This little book will be useful for clinicians trying to learn the tools of the psychotherapy trade (especially object relations) together with some basic understanding of the theoretical underpinnings...Nevertheless, I do not think that only novices will find this book useful. Many experienced clinicians not familiar with the practice of object relations will find it quite useful as a guide for dealing with patients having serious interpersonal/ relationship difficulties, such as the proverbial borderline personality disorder patients." --American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists "Dr Allan Frankland simplifies object-relational theory and offers concrete advice for the beginning clinician. Throughout the text, Dr Frankland successfully demystifies technical terms, such as "projective identification" and "object constancy," in a way that is easily digestible for the new therapist-all without losing their depth and complexity. Particularly impressive are explanations of Klein's paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions and his application of these abstract concepts to a realistic case example. His use of the same case throughout the book provides simplicity and continuity...this book is recommended for therapy trainees who are interested in relational psychodynamic approaches and concerned with putting these seemingly abstract concepts into "real world" practice." --Psychiatric Times