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We are thrilled to announce the release of two greatly anticipated books by our esteemed NCP colleagues.

Please join us for a special book signing party celebrating Conundrums and Predicaments in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis: The Clinical Moments Project, edited by Richard Tuch, MD, and Lynn S. Kuttnauer, PhD, and Psychoanalytic Method in Motion: Controversies and Evolution in Clinical Theory and Practice, by Richard Tuch, MD.

Conundrums and Predicaments in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis: The Clinical Moments Project, edited by Richard Tuch, MD, and Lynn S. Kuttnauer, PhD, with contributions by Jill Model Barth, PhD, Susan Donner, MD, Rina Freedman, LCSW, PsyD, Michele Gomes, PsyD, Lynn Kuttnauer, PhD, Albert Mason, MB, MS, Jim Perkins, MD, Janet Smith, PhD, and Richard Tuch, MD

From time to time therapists find themselves in a bind―faced with a challenging situation, unsure how to proceed. Such a conundrum leaves the therapist on edge, concerned that the success of treatment might rest on how he or she responds to the circumstance. The situation seems to call for more than pat clinical protocol, leaving the therapist uncertain as he or she ventures into novel territory wondering "what do I do now?"

Conundrums and Predicaments in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis: The Clinical Moments Project comprises twelve distinct clinical moments during which the treating/presenting analyst feels him- or herself in just such a quandary. The presented moment comes to a head at a point where the therapist feels uncertain what his or her next and best "move" might be―one that balances the protection of the therapeutic alliance with the need to address a clinical development head on. Space is then left for 25 well-known analysts ("commentators") of varying theoretical persuasions to weigh in, sharing what they think about the situation and how they imagine they might have proceeded. This book will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists of all persuasions.

Psychoanalytic Method in Motion: Controversies and Evolution in Clinical Theory and Practice, by Richard Tuch, MD

Psychoanalysis has evolved over the last several decades; the stereotypic image of the unresponsive, disengaged analyst has given way to a reality where analysts find themselves clinically capitalizing on instances when they become swept up in the treatment more than they’d planned. Some analysts see such enactments as the new “royal road to the unconscious” while others beg to differ—seeing these clinical events as insurmountable yet regrettable instances of the analyst’s failure to live up to his duty to contain the patient’s material rather than enact it.

The enactment debate is but one of a slew of controversies swirling about psychoanalysis of late. Another debate centers on whether analysts can truly be objective, leading analysts who think not to deem the practice of interpreting to patients bogus at best, if not potentially harmful for patients whose pathology readies them to be misled. Other controversies raise questions about whether efforts to reach a widening scope of patients might water down psychoanalysis, causing it to lose its essence. A particularly galling controversy involves the question of whether any given treatment approach trumps others in terms of effectiveness, as some analysts contend. And then there’s the controversy within the general populace that questions the legitimacy of psychoanalysis itself—whether it can be scientifically validated or, rather, is a gigantic hoax.

This book outlines some of the chief controversies, introducing some additional controversies along the way, such as the one that has to do with how a given analyst’s theory serves to determine what he considers salient, causing him to implicitly search for certain sorts of data while overlooking other types of data. This book covers the waterfront by addressing controversies that help further the field by raising questions that help evolve the treatment, challenging every analysts to re-think what he’s doing in the consulting room...and why.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.