A uniquely practical guide and widely adopted text, this book shows precisely what therapists can say at key moments to enhance the process of healing and change. Paul Wachtel explains why some communications in therapy are particularly effective, while others that address essentially the same content may actually be countertherapeutic. He offers clear and specific guidelines for how to ask questions and make comments in ways that facilitate collaborative exploration and promote change. Illustrated with vivid case examples, the book is grounded in an integrative theory that draws from features of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, systemic, and experiential approaches.

New to This Edition
* Reflects nearly 20 years of advances in the field and refinements of the author's approach.
*Broader audience: in addition to psychodynamic therapists, cognitive-behavioral therapists and others will find specific, user-friendly recommendations.
*Chapter on key developments and convergences across different psychotherapeutic approaches.
*Chapter on the therapeutic implications of attachment theory and research.

See also Making Room for the Disavowed, which further develops Wachtel's integrative therapeutic approach, as well as Mastering the Clinical Conversation, by Matthieu Villatte, Jennifer L. Villatte, and Steven C. Hayes, which provides another vital perspective on language in psychotherapy.

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 received his doctorate in clinical psychology from 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. Dr. Wachtel is a recipient of the Hans H. Strupp Memorial Award for psychoanalytic writing, teaching, and research.

Introduction1. Rethinking the Talking Cure: The Therapist Speaks TooI. Theoretical and Empirical Foundations2. The Continuing Evolution of Psychotherapy: New and Converging Developments in Psychoanalytic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Systemic, and Experiential Approaches3. Attending to Attachment: Accelerating Interest in the Therapeutic Implications of Attachment Theory and Research4. Cyclical Psychodynamics I: Vicious and Virtuous Circles5. Cyclical Psychodynamics II: Anxiety, Exposure, and Interpretation6. Cyclical Psychodynamics III: Insight, the Therapeutic Relationship, and the World OutsideII. Clinical Applications and Guidelines7. Accusatory and Facilitative Comments: Criticism and Permission in the Therapeutic Dialogue8. Exploration, Not Interrogation9. Building on the Patient’s Strengths10. Affirmation and Change11. Attribution and Suggestion12. Reframing, Relabeling, and Paradox13. Therapist Self-Disclosure: Prospects and Pitfalls14. Achieving Resolution of the Patient's Difficulties: Resistance, Working Through, and Following ThroughIII. Postscript15. Therapeutic Communication with Couples, Ellen F. Wachtel