A social work intern grapples with a situation that would challenge even an experienced clinician: helping a loving wife decide whether to stop feeding her dying husband of 64 years.
Ethics of Treating Two Psychotherapy Clients who Know Each Other
A question was recently posed to us about what to do when you discover in an early session with a new client that they are the former partner of another well-established client. Well, for those of you who actually stopped to think, “Oh, this may be a problem,” then you are certainly one step further away from sliding down the slippery slope of unethical behavior than those who did not recognize that this situation may pose a potential ethical dilemma….
Maria Gonzalez-Blue on Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy
An expressive arts therapist discusses the person-centered foundations of her work, and recounts transformative experiences with individual clients as well as in groups and international settings.
First Impressions in Psychotherapy
A woman wrote to me, having heard me on a radio programme. She had picked up my concern that not enough attention was being paid to the quality of the therapeutic relationship (as opposed to techniques) and wondered how her 25 year-old son, who was seeking a psychotherapist, could assess that in advance of therapy when neither of them knew any therapists where they lived. The obvious answer is that he should wait until he and the therapist meet. Therapy…
The Spinoza Problem: An Excerpt
By imagining the unexpected intersection of Jewish philosopher Spinoza’s life with that of powerful Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg, bestselling novelist Irvin Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. Psychotherapy.net is pleased to publish this exclusive excerpt.
Two Therapy Poems
Poems by Esther Wright-Wilson about those unsettling moments in therapy that we can all relate to.
Psychotherapy with Older Adults: Unjustified Fears, Unrecognized Rewards
A geriatric clinical psychologist debunks the stereotypes about working with elderly populations, and shares his discovery of the joy and gratitude that come from intimate contact with wise elders.
Esther Perel on Mating in Captivity
An unorthodox couples therapist discusses her multicultural, questioning approach to Western notions of romance, the enshrinement of the emotionally exclusive marital relationship, and how sex relates to intimacy and freedom.
Videotaping Therapy
Recent technological advances have allowed for a range of creative new affordable ways to record “picture-in-picture”, so the video shows both the client and therapist. These setups do not require any video editing.
Assessing Partner Abuse in Couples Therapy
Learn how to spot the often subtle signs of partner abuse in couples therapy, and how to take effective action. This article includes the author's Abusive Behavior Inventory as a free download.