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The two authors of The Therapist Responds are not only brothers, they are identical twins. Clinton is an Episcopal minister and a psychoanalytic counselor. His brother Clifton, a psychoanalyst, is a Senior Member of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis.
In this book, the brothers describe their therapeutic collaborations, carried on for many years. They have evolved a three-level program for their patients: individual analysis, group therapy, and philosophically oriented seminars. Through this approach they attempt to reach the individual, the social, and the universal dimensions of man.
The philosophical seminars resemble Great Books discussions, in which readings deal with philosophical perspectives of life and how they relate to the experiences of the individual. These seminars help the patients to see themselves as part of mankind's search for wisdom.
The Kews refer to their therapy as religious-oriented. This does not mean that they impose religious beliefs or practices on their patients but that both brothers accept the religious dimension as part of life. They do not focus directly on religion but see it as a dimension of depths and ultimacy. They know that religious feelings can be superficial, neurotic, and even destructive but at the same time offer great potentials for growth.
The three-level therapy program is demonstrated through the case history of Mary, “a most sensitive and articulate woman.” The therapeutic journey is enhanced by the fact that Mary is poetically gifted and well able to express her inner feelings.
This small book is recommended to psychoanalysts and therapists. It will not set the world on fire, but it certainly gives food for thought to the rest of us who also toil in the vineyard of feelings.