The bookshelf Besides Family: extending the orbit of psychic development Salman Akhtar, April Fallon and Rama Rao Gogineni (eds) (Phoenix)
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The Handbook of Social Justice in Psychological Therapies: power, politics, change Laura Anne Winter and Divine Charura (eds) (Sage)
Crisis Integration with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: theory and practice Katrina Carlsson, Kirk D Strosahl and Laura Weiss Roberts (American Psychiatric Association) When I started reading
‘Tell me about your childhood’ usually assumes a response about parents and siblings, but there are often other significant relationships outside the family, neglected
This ambitious book aims to demystify ‘social justice’ – once a term reserved mainly for therapeutic activists and writers on the fringes – by broadly exploring its place in the heart of the psychological
this book I struggled to maintain interest. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is founded on mindfulness and informed by neuroscience, and it all seemed a bit lofty.
in our history-taking. This book attempts to fill that gap, drawing together material from eight categories of ‘others’ – nannies, neighbours, schoolteachers, friends and playmates, clergy, adolescent peers, lovers and professional mentors. The authors are colleagues at the Philadelphia Center of Psychoanalysis and the book has a strong psychodynamic core. Every chapter taught me something new. I was drawn in immediately by the one on nannies, which focuses on the lives of four psychoanalysts – Freud, Ferenczi, Bowlby and Bion – and links their childhood experiences to the theories they developed in later life. Akhtar’s chapter on neighbours is wide ranging, and his reference to Volkan’s work on the conflicted ownership of territory between neighbours is of particular relevance to the current conflict in the Middle East. By organising the book by ‘category of other’, certain insights are drawn out that might otherwise have been overlooked – for example, how therapy differs from friendship and why men might be drawn to be clergymen. An overarching theme is a belief in the strength of the individual’s developmental drive, that desire to repeat the past but find a different outcome. The chapter on lovers is a good example of this with eight beautiful clinical vignettes illustrating the movement over the lifespan towards mature love. Psychopathology is not ignored but the emphasis is on opportunities for growth. This is an accessible and thoughtful book that illustrates the wisdom of the old African saying it quotes: ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ Jane Cooper MBACP (Snr Accred), former senior counsellor in higher education
professions. A range of contributors ponder the meaning of this concept, and how we might make individual sense of it, as well as how it might be applied in the therapy room and beyond. Split into three sections, the first part is theoretical, where ideas and models are given as suggestions for practitioners to use when attempting to embed social justice into their work and practice. The second and longest part, ‘Social justice informed therapeutic practice’, includes chapters that offer thoughtful reflections on working with a diverse range of client groups. The third section looks at other creative ways that those working in the psychological professions can engage more widely with social justice. Although I enjoyed this book – and it is undoubtedly an important addition to the crucial conversations around anti-oppressive practice – at times it felt a little unbalanced in style. The first part felt much more academic and perhaps less accessible than the rest, which makes me wonder what type of readership this book best appeals to in its totality. There’s an argument to suggest that this title tries to deliver too much, but despite this I am left with new insights that I can tangibly apply to my work and life. If the reader can pick and choose what sections may be of most interest to them I believe they too will find this an extremely valuable resource. Caz Binstead (MBACP), integrative therapist and supervisor
I began to feel dubious about the whole endeavour. Could mindfulness really help someone in a crisis? Wouldn’t it be (understandably) dismissed by someone who was suffering? Thankfully the breadth and ambition of ACT crashed to the fore with the introduction of Maurice, a client who presents to an emergency room seeking medication to numb himself following a recent and devastating loss. My preconceived ideas about how and when mindfulness could be used began to fade. It was the initial lack of case studies that had been leaving me cold rather than the method itself. Maurice meets a psychiatrist who encourages him to turn towards his pain rather than turn away. The ACT intervention described feels bold, risky and even radical. A connection is forged with Maurice. The work seems to exemplify the healing power of human relationships as well as the importance of congruence. This is no one-trick pony – readers are introduced to others who have benefitted from ACT, including a man in crisis following a life-changing accident, and a woman dealing with sexual trauma. This erudite and self-assured book serves as both an introductory text and a manual for ACT, enabling therapists with prior training to apply the techniques after reading. I was persuaded this approach could benefit a range of people in crisis. I’m eager to learn more, especially about the relational aspect of ACT. Zorana Halpin MBACP (Accred), therapy services manager
52 THERAPY TODAY MAY 2024
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