Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy - 2nd Edition by Alessandra Lemma (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The 2nd Edition of Introduction to the Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the highly successful practice-oriented handbook designed to demystify psychoanalytic psychotherapy, is updated and revised to reflect the latest developments in the field.

• Updated edition of an extremely successful textbook in its field, featuring numerous updates to reflect the latest research and evidence base
• Demystifies the processes underpinning psychoanalytic psychotherapy, particularly the development of the analytic attitude guided by principles of clinical technique
• Provides step-by-step guidance in key areas such as how to conduct assessments, how to formulate cases in psychodynamic terms and how to approach endings
• The author is a leader in the field - she is General Editor of the New Library of Psychoanalysis book series and a former editor of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

From the Back Cover

"This is so much more than an introductory text; it holds fast to an open, reflective and critical stance, setting out psychoanalytic ideas and their practical application in a way that is remarkably clear,
authoritative and demystifying. The revision extends and updates the original, making psychoanalytic concepts even more accessible and - more importantly - applicable. This book deserves a wide audience, and I strongly recommend it."

Tony Roth, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University College London



This is a practice-oriented textbook which aims to demystify psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Teaching and learning psychoanalytic therapy is a less clear-cut process than for other therapies, and it is easy for students to feel overwhelmed. This accessible guide is based on the author's own long experience of teaching trainee practitioners, and is built on the core premise that psychoanalysis is not so much skill-based as dependent upon development of the analytic attitude, guided by principles of technique that are used in the clinical situation.

The book provides step-by-step guidance and useful pointers in key areas such as how to make interpretations, how to carry out assessments, how to formulate cases in psychodynamic terms and how to approach endings. It presents critical information in an accessible way with case studies and practice guidelines, explaining the processes which underpin psychoanalytic psychotherapy as clearly and simply as possible. The Second Edition is updated throughout, with notable new material on findings from neuroscience and the increasing evidence base for psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the US relational school and the development of Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, and recent studies in transference.

Review Quotes

"This text is a thorough, thoughtful and academically rigorous approach to Freudian and Kleinian thinking today." (Therapy Today, May 2016)

About the Author

ALESSANDRA LEMMA is Director of the Psychological Therapies Development Unit at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, and a Consultant Adult Psychotherapist at the Portman Clinic. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Visiting Professor and Clinical Director of the Psychological Interventions Research Centre at University College London, Visiting Professor at Sapienza University of Rome and Honorary Professor of Psychological Therapies at the University of Essex. She is the Editor of the New Library of Psychoanalysis book series, and one of the regional Editors for the International Journal of Psychoanalysis. She has published extensively on psychoanalysis, the body and trauma.