Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Kleinian Tradition

This set of papers, from members of the British Association of Psychotherapists, demonstrates the vitality of the 'Kleinian tradition' in work with adult patients. It is a picture of work from outside the inner circle of Kleinians in London. And it thus indicates how the concepts have fared in their transport into everyday psychotherapy.

Table of Contents:
Introduction , Recollection and historical reconstruction , On the persistence of early loss and unresolved mourning , Interrelationships between internal and external factors in early development: current Kleinian thinking and implications for technique , “Turning a blind eye”: misrepresentation and the denial of life events , Tolerating emotional knowledge , Psychoanalytic psychotherapy for chronic depression , Notes on a case of paedophilia , When is enough enough? The process of termination with an older patient

About the Author :
Stanley Ruszczynski is a senior Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with the British Association of Psychotherapists and a Direct Member of the International Psychoanalytic Association. He is the Clinical Director of the Portman Clinic and a Consultant Adult Psychotherapist.

Review :
'There is here a thorough immersion in contemporary Kleinian thought and practice; the communicative aspects of projective identification (containing) the conceptualization of parts of the person and their structure as organizations of defense, the vicissitudes of knowledge especially in its Oedipal context, and in a close attention to the texture of transference-countertransference relationship. These faithfully reflect the developments of the Kleinian Group in the British Psycho-Analytical Society over the last 50 years. These papers demonstrate a serious use of them in clinical practice with a wide variety of patients commonly seen in contemporary psychotherapy.'The book represents a very accurate single source for the wide spectrum of Kleinian ideas that are currently in use. It is therefore an extremely useful single source for these ideas and examples of clinical practice, useful for teaching purposes and also for others seeking to know the fate of Melanie Klein's remarkable additions to Freudian theories.'- Bob Hinshelwood'This collection of clinical essays by a group of psychotherapists who are firmly committed to a psychoanalytic approach in their work can be thoroughly recommended. The different authors show how particular psychoanalytic theories they personally value find a place in their clinical work. The editors have organized the book admirably so that the individual contributions collectively give an overview of Kleinian theory and the recent theoretical contributions of the so-called "Contemporary Kleinians of London."'What pleases me about these essays is the accuracy and clarity of the theoretical account and the vividness of the clinical understanding. Through the brief introduction and eight carefully integrated essays and interested psychotherapist learning the business and wanting to know what the "school of thought" is about will find in this book a clear, non-textbook account with real clinical relevance. Other more experienced psychotherapists will find the book helpful, stimulating and challenging. The authors all demonstrate that "thinking what you are doing" is the lifeblood of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.'- Ron Britton