The Presence of the Therapist

'This book is the distillation of many years of rich experience of psychotherapy with traumatised children. The main theme of the book discusses the concept of the 'presence' of the therapist, something that cannot be left outside the consulting room. I find this thesis very cogent. It helped me to clarify in retrospect some of my own clinical experience. I am happy to recommend it to therapists of adults as well as children.'

'Lanyado charts her many years of treating very disturbed children, often with appalling histories of abuse, neglect and abandonment, in a variety of settings. She is especially concerned with exploring the personal nature of what the therapist takes into the the consulting room and how this links with the process of therapeutic change... Lanyado uses many clinical examples to weave her thoughts around the central theme of the presence of the therapist in the process of psychic change wrought in the clinical encounter... Lanyado's account of her work and her thoughtful, imaginative way of making sense of it... shows her readers how this deep and courageous preparedness to know one's own responses is ultimately in the service of reaching the patient.'- Angela Joyce, International Journalof Psychoanalysis

'I have admired the author's valuable contributions to the field for more than 15 years. She has consistently shown insight and courage in bringing ideas to our awareness that have not previously been part of the psychoanalytic discussion, particularly in relation to the impact of trauma on patients and therapists alike.' - Mary Sue Moore, Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist, Boulder, Colorado, USA

'The author's work is beautifully succinct, lucid, elegant and moving and achieves a fine balance in showing both how new theoretical formulations emerged from her clinical practice and how this practice is grounded in a strong theoretical orientation, which she simultaneously tests and deepens through clinical reflection.' - Andrew Cooper, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Tavistock Clinic, London, UK

'Lanyado charts her many years of treating very disturbed children, often with appalling histories of abuse, neglect and abandonment, in a variety of settings. She is especially concerned with exploring the personal nature of what the therapist takes into the the consulting room and how this links with the process of therapeutic change... Lanyado uses many clinical examples to weave her thoughts around the central theme of the presence of the therapist in the process of psychic change wrought in the clinical encounter... Lanyado's account of her work and her thoughtful, imaginative way of making sense of it... shows her readers how this deep and courageous preparedness to know one's own responses is ultimately in the service of reaching the patient.'- Angela Joyce, International Journalof Psychoanalysis