A Healing Relationship

A groundbreaking work from world-renowned author and psychotherapist Richard G. Erskine that lays bare the psychotherapeutic encounter.

A Healing Relationship is about a relationally focused psychotherapy, how the author works, and why. The first couple of chapters provide a brief orientation to relationally focused aspects of an integrative psychotherapy. The heart of the book are the transaction-by-transaction examples of what actually occurred in the psychotherapeutic dialogue. It is composed of three verbatim transcripts along with annotations about what the author was thinking and feeling when he engaged in psychotherapy with each client. Many of the annotated comments as well as the actual therapeutic dialogue will describe some elements of the process of relationally focused psychotherapy and the reasoning behind his therapeutic comments, silences, and challenge. This book is intended to elicit a dialogue between the reader and the psychotherapist / author and is written as though a personal letter. Psychotherapy is such an interpersonal encounter – an intimate meeting of two souls. No two psychotherapists will ever do the same therapy, even with the same client, even if they use the same theory and methods. It is important to appreciate how each think about theories, the concepts that underlie the methods chosen, how each assess the therapeutic setting, and express personal temperament. Richard G. Erskine has taken an important step in communication about the practice of psychotherapy. Not only with this excellent book but also with video footage of the three therapy sessions, which will be made accessible to purchasers of the book. The overarching aim is to stimulate important conversations between colleagues; to both agree and disagree, to influence each other, to grow professionally, and to share knowledge.

About the author Preface CHAPTER ONE Reflections on relationally focused psychotherapy CHAPTER TWO Discovering relational psychotherapy CHAPTER THREE How I practice relational psychotherapy CHAPTER FOUR Relational needs CHAPTER FIVE Trauma, relational neglect, and the need to tell the story CHAPTER SIX Attunement to affect, rhythm, and an internal child CHAPTER SEVEN Validation, normalization, and presence CHAPTER EIGHT A collegial dialogue References Index,

About the author
Preface

CHAPTER ONE
Reflections on relationally focused psychotherapy

CHAPTER TWO
Discovering relational psychotherapy

CHAPTER THREE
How I practice relational psychotherapy

CHAPTER FOUR
Relational needs

CHAPTER FIVE
Trauma, relational neglect, and the need to tell the story

CHAPTER SIX
Attunement to affect, rhythm, and an internal child

CHAPTER SEVEN
Validation, normalization, and presence

CHAPTER EIGHT
A collegial dialogue

References
Index

• By (author) Richard G. Erskine

In this beautifully written book, Richard G. Erskine shares his rich knowledge through an in-depth discussion of transcripts of actual psychotherapy sessions. Reading the book feels like being in the psychotherapy session and having the first-hand experience of the therapist’s internal process from moment-to-moment. The book is a work of art, full of wisdom, clinical thinking, and methods that convey the importance of respect and compassion for the client’s experience. The book will be of interest to all psychotherapists who would like to enrich their clinical practice and learn from the originator of developmentally based and relationally focused integrative psychotherapy.

— Gregor Žvelc, Assoc. Prof. University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology; Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling, Ljubljana

Dr. Erskine’s dialogue with the reader opens a royal avenue to understand and internalize the principles and methods of relationally focused integrative psychotherapy. This is a key book in the psychotherapy field because it clearly demonstrates the importance of intersubjectivity in the therapeutic relationship and the need for an involved other to heal the injuries of early relational ruptures.

— José M. Martínez, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine of the Valladolid University, Spain; international integrative psychotherapy trainer and supervisor; teaching and supervising transactional analyst

'the book is important for all those who want to reflect on the process of their own work. I also believe Erskine’s openness around his work, his feelings, his thinking, his capacity to reflect on himself, the relationship and his client, will be very helpful for those who sometimes see their own struggle within the process with their client as reflecting negatively on themselves rather than seeing the struggle as the very stuff of the therapeutic journey.'

— James Sweeney, The Transactional Analyst (Autumn 2021)