| Abstract: | Reviews the book, The use of self in therapy, edited by Michele Baldwin and Virginia Satir (1987). This book was also published as a special issue of the Journal of Psychotherapy and the Family, and it represents a departure from the usual content on dysfunctions and interventions in family treatment. Indeed, the book is not meant to be confined to family therapists alone, although the book's editors are themselves distinguished in this field. While there certainly is some recognition of the analytic aspects of the self, the book is not intended to cover the technicalities or subtleties of psychoanalysis and should not be judged as such. Perhaps the title should have clarified its limited focus, yet as announced by the journal editors, the scholars and therapists bring a "historical, philosophical, clinical, and research perspective." The book was proposed not as "a finished piece" but to invite an "on-going dialogue," enhancing the practice of therapy, and enriching "the lives of the therapists and clients." Throughout the volume it seems apparent that the authors were selected to present the self not only as a vehicle for therapy but also as a creative being whose growth is very much a part of a genuine therapeutic process. Of the ten papers written by contributors, two papers are overviews, four are devoted to the therapists' use of self, one expands on a training program highlighting the integration of the self, two are research papers, and one is a unique revealing paper on the metaphor of a wounded healer. One can conclude that Baldwin and Satir have selected contributors who share their feelings that an effective therapist must feel safe and be congruent, and must believe in the sacredness of the human being. If you include yourself as one who could have been invited to contribute to this book you will certainly enjoy reading it. However, if openness, sharing, the patient as partner, and so on sound like suspicious words, the book will be interesting and even stimulating, but hardly adequate to cover the self in therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
