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Resolving Therapeutic Impasses

Posted By: Jeremy D. Safran
Date: Monday, 7 August 2006, at 7:02 a.m.

Resolving Therapeutic Impasses

Jeremy D. Safran & J. Christopher Muran

Price $29.99
Distributed by Customflix.com
Also available through Amazon.com
Running time: 154 minutes
Format: DVD-R

This two DVD set demonstrates principles for resolving difficult therapeutic impasses that can lead to treatment failure. Jeremy Safran and Chris Muran provide a systematic framework to guide therapists in dealing with such impasses. The DVDs serve as a valuable companion to the authors' influential book: "Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Training Guide", and also stand alone as an invaluable training tool. They demonstrate relevant techniques with hostile, withdrawn and compliant clients. Clinical vignettes are accompanied by illuminating commentaries to maximize the learning experience.

The first DVD illustrates basic principles of therapeutic metacommunication as a tool for collaboratively exploring and working through vicious cycles that are being enacted in the therapeutic relationship. Particular attention is paid to the role that mindfulness can play in helping therapists to harness and work constructively with the intense, conflictual, and painful thoughts and feelings that emerge for patients and within themselves, during difficult therapeutic encounters.The second DV Ddemonstrates the specific resolution processes associated with different types of alliance ruptures.

Reviews:
These are excellent training materials for therapists interested in refining their skills for working through difficult junctures in psychotherapy. Informed by cutting-edge developments emerging from relational psychoanalysis and from their own systematic research program, Safran and Muran have developed an important approach for resolving therapeutic impasses. Now for the first time, viewers will be
able to observe Safran demonstrate this approach with a range of different problems, and follow along as Safran and Muran comment on the clinical vignettes and highlight relevant principles. Invaluable.

Leslie Greenberg, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
York University

****

This is a very well conceived DVD set that offers psychotherapists and graduate students ready access to the work of a master clinician, Jeremy
Safran, demonstrating his and Chrstopher Muran's model of relational psychotherapy. What makes it particularly good training material is how these clinician/researchers alternate between presenting case vignettes and commentary in which they explain, from their relational perspective,
how to resolve impasses in the therapeutic relationship. There are very few comparable materials available that provide this kind of vivd and stimulating learning opportunity for both the novice and experienced practitioner.

Stanley Messer, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Rutgers University

****

This two DVD set on the negotiation of therapeutic alliance ruptures provides vivid illustrations of sophisticated and vitally important clinical skills. Recognized as the foremost experts on alliance ruptures, Safran and Muran demonstrate the use of clinical principles and strategies that they have developed based on extensive clinical
experience and research, as well as a
sophisticated integration of a broad array of theoretical traditions.

Louis G. Castonguay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Penn State University