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Suzi Naiburg, editor, teacher, Henry James scholar and analyst schooled in both Jungian and psychoanalytic traditions, offers a superb book about clinical writing. It is a pleasure to read her own fine writing along with the examples from well-known authors such as Barbara Pizer, Thomas Ogden, Michael Eigen, Christopher Bollas and Leston Havens. This book is a good read. One is easily engaged in the stories of skilled therapists and how they actually work with patients.
The format is one where Naiburg presents an interesting epigraph followed by a central theme of writing, then a detailed clinical example and finally a suggested exercise. Having taken her courses, I can very well appreciate this full explication of her methods of teaching the art and craft of clinical writing, which guides rather than directs the development of individual skill and style. One has the opportunity to experience the first-class abilities of talented clinicians who are also excellent writers. The stories are so good that it is easy to forget that one is taking a ‘course’ or honing one's skills.
Naiburg's method of teaching is to invite the reader to join her in the process of writing. This ‘friendly’ approach involves the writer in a positive process, unlike what many of us suffered in school where critical red underlining and commentary discouraged many a potential author. Many talented clinicians could make significant contributions to the literature but they are not trained writers and are intimidated by the publication process. This empowering book allows potential authors to move at their own pace and learn through specific didactic information from a professional teacher and from the voices of published clinician/authors. Psychoanalytic training programmes would do well to recommend this book.
At an explicit level, Naiburg defines and lays out modes of writing; she describes style and voice along with guidelines for how to do introductions, conclusions, revisions and sources. But