Therapeutic Assessment and Interpersonal Neurobiology

Stephen E. Finn, PhD, is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, developer of Therapeutic Assessment, and author of influential books and articles shaping contemporary psychological assessment research, training, and practice.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Bridging the Gap between Recent Developments in Psychotherapy and the Practice of Psychological AssessmentChapter 2 Empathy, Intersubjectivity, and the Longing to Be Known: Why Personality Assessment WorksChapter 3 The Many Faces of Empathy in Experiential, Person-Centered, Collaborative AssessmentChapter 4 Journeys through the Valley of Death: Multimethod Psychological Assessment and Personality Transformation in Long-Term PsychotherapyChapter 5 Implications of Recent Research in Neurobiology for Psychological AssessmentChapter 6 “When I Found My Father”: A Rorschach-Evoked Trauma Flashback Helps a Client HealChapter 7 What New Understandings of Shame Mean for Psychological AssessmentChapter 8 Integrating the Work of Luria and Vygotsky in Modern Personality Assessment: Scaffolding and Collaboration in Therapeutic AssessmentChapter 9 Therapeutic Assessment in Personality Disorders: Toward the Restoration of Epistemic Trust (written with Jan H. Kamphuis)Chapter 10 Learning to Navigate Karpman’s Triangle: The Healing Potential of Assessing Traumatized ClientsChapter 11 Using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System in the Middle of Long-Term PsychotherapyChapter 12 Undoing Preoccupied Attachment Defenses Revealed through the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System: The Grief Underlying Cognitive DisconnectionChapter 13 “If Only I Had Looked!”: How Polyvagal Theory Helped a Client Rewrite Her Core NarrativeChapter 14: Are the Sudden Transformations Seen at Times in Therapeutic Assessment Due to Memory Reconsolidation?Chapter 15 Final Thoughts

“Destined to become a modern-day classic, Stephen Finn’s Therapeutic Assessment and Interpersonal Neurobiology: Empathy, Intersubjectivity, and the Longing to be Known should be on every clinician’s bookshelf. Blending rigorous empirical evidence with clinical wisdom and richly elaborated case material, the author provides a compelling introduction to one of the most important innovations in contemporary clinical psychology. Readers experience first-hand the nuances of Therapeutic Assessment, and how TA helps strengthen the empathic connection between client and therapist. Graduate students, early-career psychologists, and experienced clinicians will all benefit from this remarkable book.”Robert F. Bornstein, PhD, University Professor, Adelphi University, USA"Nearly two decades after his classic In Our Clients’ Shoes, Stephen Finn gifts assessment psychologists another gem. I cannot recall another volume from which I have learned so much that was not only immediately and pragmatically applicable to my assessment practice but also prompted such constructive reflection on how I think about my work and what I might do differently—and more effectively—with future patients. Finn is a master at making complex intrapsychic and interpersonal concepts accessible without diluting their sophistication. His capacities for creative, integrative thinking— here, involving theory and research in assessment, psychotherapy, attachment, and neuroscience— and communicating these ideas lucidly are remarkable. Finn’s new book teems with evocative, empathic case illustrations that bring his ideas to life, modeling an assessment stance that is humane, collaborative, shame-sensitive, and clinically transformative. I highly recommend this book to all assessment psychologists and students who value a depth-oriented, relational approach, regardless of whether they practice formal Therapeutic Assessment."Anthony D. Bram, PhD, FABP, ABPA, Harvard Medical School, USA; Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, USA; (co-)author of Psychological Testing that Matters: Creating a Road Map for Effective Treatment and Psychological Assessment of Emotional Dysregulation in Children and Adolescents: The Bipolar Spectrum and Beyond“Nobody combines empirical rigor, thoughtful reflection, and a deep concern for human experience the way Stephen Finn does. That rare integration is what makes him one of the most inspiring voices in clinical psychology—and why I eagerly anticipate each of his books, often returning to them again and again. In this sequel to In Our Clients’ Shoes, Finn connects his groundbreaking approach to psychological assessment with recent advances in science and clinical practice. He reflects on the neurobiological foundations of therapeutic change, empathy, trauma, multimethod assessment, shame, epistemic trust, and the work of many of the most influential thinkers in psychological assessment. As always, the book is written in clear, accessible, and clinically rich prose, brought vividly to life through abundant clinical examples. It invites readers not only to deepen their clinical skill, but also to reconnect with their own humanity, sensitivity, and curiosity.”Christopher J. Hopwood, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland“In this book, Finn expertly integrates scholarship and his unparalleled clinical acumen to produce a tour de force treatise on the neurobiological underpinnings of Therapeutic Assessment. Scholars will find in it an erudite review of a broad and extensive literature and clinicians will benefit from the rich clinical vignettes that draw on the author’s decades of research, practice, and teaching in this field.”Yossef S. Ben-Porath, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Kent State University, UK; co-developer of the MMPI-3“Dr. Finn weaves a tapestry using his decades of clinical experience intertwined with contemporary theoretical and research foundations of interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, shame, and human memory into the therapeutic domain where assessment serves as the framework for new effective approaches to therapeutic change. Case examples demonstrate how multimethod assessment used in Therapeutic Assessment helps clients feel respected, seen, understood, and accepted, setting the stage for the therapist as a ‘secure base’ promoting intersubjectivity, empathy, and therapeutic change.”Carol George, PhD, Professor Emerita, Mills College, USA; co-author of The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System: Attachment Theory and Assessment in Adults“At a time when psychological assessment is declining in practice and graduate schools, this powerful sequel to In Our Clients' Shoes clarifies how and why the therapeutic use of psychological assessment creates lasting change. Finn’s easy-to-read chapters clarify often difficult-to-understand concepts in neurobiology, polyvagal theory, memory reconsolidation, shame, and attachment. His many case examples beautifully illustrate these constructs and demonstrate the therapeutic growth and shame reduction created by using tests therapeutically. This volume will no doubt invigorate the clinical work of assessors and therapists from all orientations.”Julie Cradock O’Leary, PhD, co-author of Thurston Cradock Test of Shame“Finn’s exquisite evolution of his TA model, with the melding of neurobiological research findings and weighty psychological concepts, shines through in this rich compilation of his recent works. This compendium will propel readers to transfigure their psychological assessment practice into a fundamentally restorative offering.”Radhika Krishnamurthy, PsyD, ABAP, Clinical Psychology Professor, Florida Tech, USA; Former President, Society for Personality Assessment“Psychological assessment as a process, as well as resulting conclusions, carries a great deal of power. What Finn understands better than most is how this also means that assessment carries a great deal of potential—potential for healing, potential for growth, and potential for relief from both struggles and suffering. What he did for theory in In Our Clients' Shoes, he solidifies in research in this volume. He weaves in research ranging from affective neuroscience to interpersonal neurobiology to illustrate possible mechanisms for the transformative power of Therapeutic Assessment (TA). Perhaps even more powerful, he illustrates these processes through deep and authentic case examples that bring them to life in a way that allows the reader to internalize them deeply. For the practitioner of psychological assessment, this book offers clear ways to deepen and improve the practice toward deep transformation.”A. Jordan Wright, PhD, ABPP, ABAP, Clinical Associate Professor, New York University, USA; author of Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners