Utilizing a decade’s worth of clinical experience gained since its original publication, Mary Jo Peebles builds and expands upon exquisitely demonstrated therapeutic approaches and strategies in this second edition of Beginnings. The essential question remains the same, however: How does a therapist begin psychotherapy? To address this delicate issue, she takes a thoughtful, step-by-step approach to the substance of those crucial first sessions, delineating both processes and potential pitfalls in such topics as establishing a therapeutic alliance, issues of trust, and history taking. Each chapter is revised and expanded to include the latest treatment research and modalities, liberally illustrated with rich case material, and espouse a commitment to the value of multiple theoretical perspectives. Frank and sophisticated, yet eminently accessible, this second edition will be an invaluable resource for educators, students, and seasoned practitioners of any therapeutic persuasion.

Table of Contents

Beginnings. Understanding and Diagnosis. Mapping. Alliance. Focus. History Taking: How Much is Enough? Encounter, Conversation, and Patient Activity: Engaging Ourselves and the Patient in the Process. What Material is Important? How Can We Be Sure? Trial Interventions and Feedback. Symptoms as Solutions: Four Models of Underlying Developmental Disruption. What Has Gone Right? Strengths and Resilience. The Structural Weaknesses Model. The Trauma Model. The Maladaptive Character Model. The Conflicts and Splits Model. Helping the Patient Form an Alliance: Mapping Paths of Trust and Repair. Perception and Conclusions: Reality Testing and Reasoning. Dysregulation, Resilience, and Stability: The Maturation of Emotional Balance. Developing Our Ability to Connect: The Maturation of Relatedness. Developing Our Place in the World: The Maturation of Moral Sense. Respecting the Psychological Costs of Change. The Patient’s Learning Style. The Power of Expectations: Their Influence on Focus, Modality, and Style. Modalities. Priorities and Treatment Episodes. Am I the Right Person?

Author/Editor Biography

A psychoanalyst and writer, Mary Jo Peebles, Ph.D., studied, practiced, and taught at the Menninger Clinic for nearly two decades, was a member of the medical staff at Chestnut Lodge Hospital, and completed independent fellowships in child/adolescent and adult psychology. She is board certified in clinical psychology and clinical hypnosis, is a psychoanalyst and member of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and trained in family systems theory, biofeedback, and EMDR. Dr. Peebles has given workshops and presentations internationally on therapy planning, trauma, and psychological testing, and currently works with children, adolescents, and adults in private practice in Bethesda, MD, where she has resided for the past 12 years.