Short-term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Adolescents with Depression

'This manual is extraordinary. It manages to tackle eloquently the controversy over the danger of reductionist narrowing of the art of psychoanalysis versus the free, abundant, and creative intuiting of the nuances of transference and countertransference. Thus it is more than a manual - it is an important contribution to what Schore calls the "science of the art" of psychotherapy. Importantly, it begins by distinguishing depression in adolescence from that in childhood and in adulthood. The authors insist that psychoanalytic work with severely depressed adolescents must take account not only of the pathology, but also of the developmental tasks of adolescence - those concerned with finding a balance between developing an adult identity and maintaining appreciation of parental figures. We are left in no doubt of the necessity for finely detailed calibration of the differing and changing states of mind of both patient and his or her family, the skill required to carry this out, the urgency for such treatment to prevent the well-known relapses, and of course the research required to validate its effectiveness. For all the detail, it is also highly readable.'-Dr Anne Alvarez, PhD, MACP, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist'This research-informed and comprehensive treatment manual covers not only the principles, aims, and techniques of STPP, but also theories of adolescent depression and developmental perspectives, the empirical evidence for psychoanalytic therapy, and a thorough description of the stages of treatment. This treatment is designed for young persons with clinical depression, including the severely depressed with long-standing complex relational difficulties. Reading the manual, I was struck by the tone of compassion and hopefulness also for "hopeless patients" that have lost almost all faith in the adult world. How therapists can use their own feelings as a source for better understanding their patients is masterfully described. I endorse this book with the highest level of enthusiasm.'- Per Hoglend, Professor of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo'This book is a very welcome and timely addition to the canon of psychoanalytic practice. The structured articulation of the psychoanalytic approach, which madethis approach amenable to testing in a modern state-of-the-art randomised controlled trial (RCT), is timely and necessary. This treatment manual manages to combine theory with compassionate and practical everyday NHS clinical practice. It carries the psychoanalytic tradition forwards, and I wholeheartedly commend it to trainees and experienced practitioners alike.'- Dr Raphael Kelvin, Consultant and Associate Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cambridge University, and National Clinical Lead for MindEd