Essays on Integrative Psychotherapy

Richard G. Erskine, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, licensed psychoanalyst, certified transactional analyst and group psychotherapist. His professional background includes training in Gestalt therapy with both Fritz and Laura Perls, client-centered therapy, emotional and cognitive development, body-oriented psychotherapy, object relations therapy, and psychoanalytic self-psychology. Since 1976 he has served as the Training Director at the Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy in New York City and Vancouver, Canada, he is Professor of Psychology on the Faculty of Health Sciences at Deusto University, Bilbao, Spain, and he conducts professional development seminars in several countries, both in person and via the internet. His website is www.IntegrativePsychotherapy.com.

• 1. Stimulus, Structure, and Relationship 2. Trauma, Dissociation, and a Reparative Relationship 3. Wayne: The Emptiness of the Unloved Child 4. Child Development in Integrative Psychotherapy 5. Contributions of Gestalt Therapy 6. An Integrative Psychotherapy of Obsession 7. Presence and Involvement 8. Relational Withdrawal, Internal Criticism, Social Façade 9. Psychotherapy of Relational Withdrawal 10. The Truth Shall Set You Free 11. Saying an Honest “Goodbye” 12. Relational Group Process 13. Contact and Relational Needs in Couple Therapy 14. Reflections on Supervision in Integrative Psychotherapy 15. Compassion, Hope, and Forgiveness 16. The Psychotherapist’s Myths, Dreams, and Realities

Richard Erskine’s book blends theory and practice in a comprehensive and complementary way. It is an excellent guide for those who want to understand and practice relational-focused integrative psychotherapy. You will find in every paragraph of this book a creative synthesis of knowledge and method, an inspiring resource for all psychotherapists.Dr. Şafak Ebru Toksoy, Istanbul Bilgi University, Institute of Graduate Programs: Trauma and Disaster Mental HealthThis book is a treasure to help psychotherapists understand clients unconscious process and non-verbal communication. Richard Erskine skilfully demonstrates the theory and practice of a relationally-focused and developmentally-based psychotherapy that facilitates the integration of the fragmented parts of the self. This book is a must read to every psychotherapist, from beginners to the very experienced ones.Ruth Birkebaek, MD, psychotherapist, supervisor, and international trainer, London, UKEach chapter provides a richly coloured tapestry of Integrative Psychotherapy. The presentation of client material helps to give the reader a vibrant image of how in-depth psychotherapy looks in practice. This book is a wonderful, essential creation, beautifully crafted, with many practical ideas and concepts interwoven and interconnected.Sally Openshaw, President, International Integrative Psychotherapy Association (IIPA); UKCP Registered Psychotherapist; COSRT Accredited Sexual and Relational Therapist and Supervisor Richard Erskine is a much-respected innovator and developer of integrative psychotherapy, well known for his writings and teaching on Inquiry, Attunement, and Involvement in the therapeutic relationship. The various chapters in this volume offer vivid case vignettes that provide useful examples of the methodology involved in conducting in-depth psychotherapy. In addition to the chapters addressing individual psychotherapy, there are chapters focusing on couple as well as group therapy, and supervision. This book is an ideal resource for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of a developmentally-based, relationally-focused integrative psychotherapy. Ray Little, author of several articles and book chapters on the theory and methods of psychotherapy, Edinburgh, Scotland