111 Common Therapeutic Blunders

This revised, updated, and expanded edition of a classic primer of countertransference and counterresistance reflects changes in contemporary psychotherapy and new situations that face therapists. The clinical blunders, chosen to convey the interpsychic, intrapsychic, and human aspect of the therapeutic dyad, illustrate a variety of dilemmas in an accessible form, and they now also address how supervisors react to their own countertransferences. Countertransference and counterresistance are universal, and this edition, like its predecessor, makes an absolute case for therapists to undergo a real, personal analysis. The 101 examples of therapeutic blunders and 11 supervisory blunders are presented simply, dramatically and often humorously, so that therapists of all persuasions can understand them.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Therapeutic Blunders and the Unconscious Part 2 Part I: Countertransference Blunders Chapter 3 Erotic Countertransference Chapter 4 Obsessive-Compulsive Countertransference Chapter 5 Sadomasochistic Countertransference Chapter 6 Histrionic Countertransference Chapter 7 Passive-Aggressive Countertransference Chapter 8 Narcissistic Countertransference Part 9 Part II: Counterresistance Blunders Chapter 10 Characterological Counterresistance Chapter 11 Cultural Counterresistance Chapter 12 Supervisory Counterresistance Chapter 13 Afterword: Symptoms of Countertransference Chapter 14 Epilogue: A Therapist's Manifesto

About the Author :
Gerald Schoenewolf, Ph.D., is the founder and director of the Living Center in New York, a therapeutic cooperative for people in the arts. He is an adjunct professor of psychology at the New York Institute of Technology, Hunter College, and the Borough of Manhattan Community College as well as the author of 13 books.

Review :
Dr. Schoenewolf has written a cutting edge revision of "101 Common Therapeutic Blunders". This new edition brings the volume up-to-date and adds many new cases, a new section on supervisory blunders and the effects of insurance company encroachment on the treatment process. There is also a poetic ode to the psychoanalytic profession called- "A Psychoanalyst's Manifesto". This book is a must-read for therapists of all persuasion. It is a guide to understanding how countertransferences and counterresistances lead to most of the mistakes they make, and it also shows how to resolve them. The descriptions of individual blunders are concise, specific, and graphic. They would provide food for thought for beginners in the art of psychotherapy and should effectively alert all practitioners to the countertransference traps that abound in this field. This new edition of 111 Common Therapeutic Blunders (formerly 101 Common Therapeutic Blunders) surpasses the older one, and it is a must-read for clinicians at all levels of experience. Many readers will be relieved to learn that counterresistance and countertransference mishaps are part of the therapeutic process. A plethora of new cases brings the book up-to-date and a new section describes blunders in the supervisory process. Schoenewolf boldly demonstrates through stirring and often funny vignettes the management of difficult treatment situations. He identifies therapeutic errors while remaining empathic toward the blundering, hapless therapist. The writing is clear, lively and enjoyable. This volume has my highest recommendation. In the tradition of great chess books, this volume instructs on how to play by illustrating how not to play.