Recapturing the Therapeutic Alliance

Safran, Jeremy D.
Muran, J. Christopher
Meissner, William W.

JEREMY D. SAFRAN, Department of Psychology, New School University.
J. CHRISTOPHER MURAN, Brief Psychotherapy Research Program, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York.
WILLIAM W. MEISSNER, Department of Theology, Boston College, 420D Carney Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467. E-mail: [email protected]

PsycCRITIQUES 48(4):p 431-433, August 2003. | DOI: 10.1037/000843

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 2003, Vol 48(4), 431-433. Provides a review of the book “Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Treatment Guide” by Jeremy D. Safran and J. Christopher Muran (see record 2000-07176-000). The reviewer finds much to praise in these pages. First, the book gives credence and function to the therapeutic alliance as a vital component of the therapeutic relation and interaction. Second, the coverage is comprehensive and detailed, discussing many important aspects of this complex and difficult subject. Third, the theoretical discussions are complemented by copious clinical vignettes that serve to illuminate the material under discussion, adding a practical and useful dimension to the discussion. However commendable and useful this book might be, there is always room for a reviewer's criticisms and objections. The reviewer addresses a few limitations that he would urge readers to keep in mind while studying this material. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)