Relational Theory and the Practice of Psychotherapy

This important book explores a new direction that can enable therapists of any orientation to better understand and help their patients. While psychoanalysis has traditionally been seen as a world apart from cognitive-behavioral therapy and many other psychotherapeutic approaches, recent developments in the field are changing that. Relational theory, in emphasizing how relationships shape personality, diverges in key ways from traditional psychoanalytic assumptions and therapeutic practices. At the same time, it preserves, and even extends, the depth of understanding of human experience and psychological conflict that has always been the strength of psychoanalysis. Through probing theoretical analysis and illuminating examples, the book offers innovative and powerful ways to revitalize clinical practice.

Paul L. Wachtel, PhD, is CUNY Distinguished Professor in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at City College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia University, received his doctorate in clinical psychology at Yale University, and is a graduate of the postdoctoral program in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy at New York University, where he is also a faculty member. Dr. Wachtel has lectured and given workshops throughout the world on psychotherapy, personality theory, and the applications of psychological theory and research to the major social issues of our time. He has been a leading voice for integrative thinking in the human sciences and was a cofounder of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration.