Building on and synthesizing a half century of practice and personal analytic experiences with the likes of Balint, Winnicott, Bion, Milner, and Kohut, Howard Bacal offers us a broadly relational, process theory that addresses the heart of all psychotherapy and its supervision: the specifics of fittedness between patient and therapist as well as the unique match between therapist and supervisor. ... Read moreIt is just this that was neglected for so long in psychoanalytic theory and practice that is now presented so clearly, and richly integrated with contemporary neuroscience and infancy research.
Lewis Aron, PhD, New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis The Power of Specificity In Psychotherapy expands and deepens our understanding of therapeutic action and the change process. Specificity theory is as groundbreaking as it is orienting for the therapist or analyst who wonders why accepted doctrine and standardized technique so frequently do not work. Presented in a well-written, articulate, and accessible manner, Bacal's cutting-edge approach to reconceptualizing therapeutic interaction and to appreciating the uniqueness of relational engagement frees us from our reliance upon linear, codified, and objectivist methodologies aimed at therapeutic change. In true contextualist, process-based fashion, Bacal conveys a deep respect for the individual and the uniqueness of the dyadic engagement—without which patients, and therapists, are otherwise so often rendered less than human. Grounded in personal lived experience as well as current research, this must-read book is as immediately clinically useful as it is scholarly and expansive of theory.
William J. Coburn Ph.D, Psy.D., editor, International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology Bacal's lucidly written and richly illustrated book is a pleasure to read. Both seasoned clinicians and beginners will find a freshness in his approach. Thinking about the specificity that emerges in the process of the dyad of patient and therapist or the triad of supervisor, supervisee, and patient makes each clinical exchange a unique opportunity for emotional growth and learning.
Judy L. Kantrowitz, PhD, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Harvard Medical School Show Less