You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Tales of Psychotherapy and would recommend it to both those with an existing interest in psychotherapy and perhaps even to those who are completely new to the field. Tales is a compilation of ‘short accounts’ that provides an all-round insight into the practice as a whole.
There have been times that I have been asked what psychotherapy is and how it works. After reading this collection I would now refer them to this book, particularly to Jane Ryan's introduction, confident that it can offer the reader a greater general understanding of the field:
Unlike friendship, marriage or pastoral care, therapy occurs in a regular and repeated pattern of meetings in which the therapist will strive to be consistent, authentic and offer an exceptional quality of listening to the intricate tales of everyday life that tell of inner conflict and hidden desires. (p. 1)
It is the ‘exceptional quality of listening’ that stands out to me, and reminds me that it is this rare opportunity we are offered, and are offering, in the dyad. Here, as the reader, we get the chance to also be ‘listener’ as the Tales of Psychotherapy unfold before us.
Thirty-eight intricate tales are presented to us by writers from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds. Psychotherapists of a Jungian, Psychoanalytical and Art background explore the field alongside poets, writers and award-winning playwrights - each author offering a fresh style and perspective.
The stories are fictionalized, or at the least heavily disguised, by those who draw on their experience as a practitioner. Other tales are clearly written from a more personal perspective and are expressly autobiographical.