Mentalizing In Clinical Practice

E-Book Overview

Mentalizing the fundamental human capacity to understand behavior in relation to mental states such as thoughts and feelings is the basis of healthy relationships and self-awareness. Mentalizing in Clinical Practice distills the burgeoning literature on mentalizing for clinicians of diverse professional backgrounds. As growing evidence supports the effectiveness of mentalizing-focused interventions in the treatment of borderline personality disorder, this volume seeks to explore even wider applications in trauma treatment, parent-child therapy, psychoeducation, and violence prevention in social systems. Part I, Understanding Mentalizing, fully explicates the concept of mentalizing and its foundations in developmental research and social-cognitive neuroscience; Part II, Practicing Mentalizing, presents the general principles of psychotherapeutic interventions that promote mentalizing as well as a range of current clinical applications. The book includes a straightforward explanation clinicians can use with patients, What is Mentalizing and Why Do It? and also demonstrates the ways in which clinicians are already doing it. The authors reason that if the effectiveness of treatment depends on therapists mentalizing and helping their patients do so more consistently and skillfully, clinicians of all persuasions can benefit from the extensive knowledge now available to hone further their attention to this vital therapeutic process.

E-Book Content

Mentalizing in Clinical Practice This page intentionally left blank Mentalizing in Clinical Practice Jon G. Allen, Ph.D. Helen Malsin Palley Chair in Mental Health Research and Professor of Psychiatry, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas Peter Fonagy, Ph.D., FBA Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis and Director of the Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London; Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre, London, England Anthony W. Bateman, M.A., FRCPsych Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Halliwick Unit, St. Ann’s Hospital, Barnet, Enfield, England, and Haringey Mental Health Trust Washington, DC London, England Note: The authors have worked to ensure that all information in this book is accurate at the time of publication and consistent with general psychiatric and medical standards. As medical research and practice continue to advance, however, therapeutic standards may change. Moreover, specific situations may require a specific therapeutic response not included in this book. For these reasons and because human and mechanical errors sometimes occur, we recommend that readers follow the advice of physicians directly involved in their care or the care of a member of their family. Books published by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., represent the views and opinions of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the policies and opinions of APPI or the American Psychiatric Association. If you would like to buy between 25 and 99 copies of this or any other APPI title, you are eligible for a 20% discount; please contact APPI Customer Service at [email protected] or 800–368–5777. For 100 or more copies of the same title, please e-mail us at [email protected] for a price quote. Copyright © 2008 American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Manufactured in the United States of America on acid-free paper 12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition Typeset in Adobe’s Palatino and Kabel American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. 1000 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22209–3901 www.appi.org Libra