Designed for psychotherapists and counsellors in training, An Introduction to the Therapeutic Frame clarifies the concept of the frame - the way of working set out in the first meeting between therapist and client. This Classic Edition of the book includes a brand new introduction by the author.
Anne Gray, an experienced psychotherapist and teacher, uses lively and extensive case material to show how the frame can both contain feelings and further understanding within the therapeutic relationship. She takes the reader through each stage of therapeutic work, from the first meeting to the final contact, and looks at those aspects of management that beginners often find difficult, such as fee payment, letters and telephone calls, supervision and evaluation.
Her practical advice on how to handle these situations will be invaluable to trainees as well as to those involved in their training.
The Frame. Transference, Countertransference and Interpretation. The First Contact. First Meetings. Letters and Telephone Calls. Third-Party Communications. Ongoing Work. Money Matters. A Brief Intervention. Supervision. Ending and Evaluation.
Biography
Anne Gray has worked as a psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapist for over thirty years, working in agency settings and in private practice as well as teaching at the University of Hertfordshire. Her particular interest in the concept of the therapeutic frame broadened to include every aspect of the relationship between therapist and patient and she now concentrates on ethical practice and the integration of theory with personal values.
"It has been a pleasure to re-read Anne Gray's book. It is beautifully written, admirably clear and exquisitely thoughtful. Gray's purpose is to demonstrate the value of containment of anxiety provided by the therapeutic frame and to illustrate, by a striking series of case studies, the values of the frame and the consequences of a failure to maintain it. With remarkable humility she describes mistakes she has made and their consequences. Absolutely the most engaging aspect of the book is Gray's authorial voice, which is not dogmatic or prescriptive, but on the contrary authoritative and facilitative. This is a book which has plenty of life left in it yet."
Julia Buckroyd, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of Herfordshire and Fellow of BACP.
'This is a rewarding and wise book offering a thoughtful approach to the everyday challenge of managing patient related correspondence, telephone calls, initial consultations, fees and endings whilst remaining vigilantly anchored in the transference when it comes to understanding what these activities might also mean to the troubled mind in search of competent help."
Anthony Cantle, Psychoanalyst and Fellow of the Institute of Psycho-Analysis, London.
"This is an essential textbook for trainee therapists and experienced practitioners alike. Anne Gray conveys in accessible and human terms the fundamental significance of the frame in all our therapeutic endeavours. I wholeheartedly recommend this book."
Dr Gill Popple, Professional Lead for Counselling Training Programmes, University of Hertfordshire.
