Tales from the Couch: A Clinical Psychologist’s True Stories of Psychotherapy

Sitting across from someone in a therapy session is simultaneously intimate and clinical. As the therapist, you must balance a few things at once: develop a diagnostic understanding of the client while also integrating the individual experiences that make each person’s story unique. Having sat on both sides of the therapeutic couch, so to speak, I always look forward to reading about other therapists’ experiences. In his latest book, Tales from the Couch: A Clinical Psychologist’s True Stories of Psychotherapy, clinical psychologist Bob Wendorf lets us inside his office, showing us glimpses of rich clinical relationships. Wendorf draws from his more than thirty-six years as a psychotherapist and marriage and family therapist. He has experience in a variety of settings, including residential treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers, and private practice. In the book, Wendorf focuses on a different psychological issue or diagnosis in each chapter, then illustrates it with portraits of individuals he has seen over the course of his career. While he offers stories about well-known issues like depression and anxiety, he also jumps into topics slightly off the beaten path, including enmeshment and multiple personalities. In one section, he relays the story of Kami Sue and her daughter Kami Two, who came dressed in matching outfits and completed each other’s sentences. “The reason for this craziness, and Kami Two’s distress,” W...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Book Reviews Clinicians on the Couch Disorders General Interview Motivation and Inspiration Personal Stories Personality Professional Psychological Assessment Psychology Psychotherapy Therapists Spill a clinical psychologist's tr Source Type: news