Consulting to Chaos

'Implicitly, this book draws our attention to a correlation between the mental health of the professional team and the quality of the intervention they are able to provide. It highlights the extent to which disturbance in the patient can and does become projected into and identified with by the staff and by the system that provide their care. Simply put, this book describes a method of organisational consultation that seeks to transform the enactments that flow from being fearful of, angry with, or despairing about the patient into attending to and thinking about the patient.'-Julian Lousada, Vice Chair, British Psychotherapy Foundation; from the Foreword'This book is a must-read for any person working in forensic psychiatry settings. The method described provides immunisation against the "contagiousness" of certain mental disorders by helping elucidate staff responses and then unifying clinical teams' care of patients. It's a win-win for patients and staff and, therefore, for everyone.'-Carine Minne, Consultant Psychiatrist in Forensic Psychotherapy, Broadmoor Hospital'In a "one-stop shop" volume, John Gordon and Gabriel Kirtchuk have, uniquely, furnished the mental health practitioner community and others working with suffering and violence in institutional settings with an innovative approach. Understanding the Interpersonal Dynamic consultation is central to the book and, moreover, the very application to a broad range of significant psychopathology is highlighted by the careful and considered use of appropriate case material. Not only do the authors present a conceptualisation of treatment intervention based on a comprehensive and systematic assessment architecture, but their account also emphasises, in stark contrast to more traditional psychotherapeutic practice, the notion of inclusivity and accessibility.'- Colin R. Martin, Professor of Mental Health, Buckinghamshire New University; from the Afterword