Hadas Wiseman

Anger, Guilt, and Intergenerational Communication of Trauma in the Interpersonal Narratives of Second Generation Holocaust Survivors

The nature and expression of anger and guilt in sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors were studied by a quantitative and qualitative analysis of relationship narratives. Findings are discussed in relation to the reciprocal overprotectiveness between the surviving parents and their children in the context of intergenerational communication of trauma.

Parental communication of Holocaust experiences and interpersonal patterns in offspring of Holocaust survivors

This study examined the interpersonal problems and central relationship patterns of Holocaust Survivors’ Offspring (HSO) who were characterised by different patterns of parental communication of their parents’ Holocaust trauma. Fifty-six adults born to mothers who were survivors of Nazi concentration camps and 54 adults born to parents who immigrated to Israel before 1939 with their own parents (non-HSO) were recruited randomly from an Israeli sample. While the groups did not differ in their current mental health, HSO who reported nonverbal communication with little information about their mother’s trauma endorsed more interpersonal distress than HSO who experienced informative verbal communication and less affiliation than either HSO who experienced informative verbal communication or non-HSO. They also differed in their central relationship patterns with their parents and spouses. The findings are discussed in the context of the unique dynamics of growing up with the silent presence of the mother’s trauma.

Gender Differences in Loneliness and Depression of University Students Seeking Counselling.

Abstract Gender differences in loneliness and depression were examined among university students seeking counselling. The short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were completed by 325 counselling seekers (107 males and 218 females) in Israel. Males were significantly higher in loneliness than females, while females were significantly higher in depression than males. The greater loneliness of male counselling-seekers than that of females is discussed, as well as the possibility of a response set. Implications for assessment and counselling are suggested.

Client attachment, attachment to the therapist and client-therapist attachment match: How do they relate to change in psychodynamic psychotherapy?

Abstract Objective: We examined the associations between client attachment, client attachment to the therapist, and symptom change, as well as the effects of client-therapist attachment match on outcome. Clients (n = 67) and their therapists (n = 27) completed the ECR to assess attachment. Method: Clients completed also the Client Attachment to Therapist scale three times (early, middle, and late sessions) and the OQ-45 at intake and four times over the course of a year of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Results: Clients characterized by avoidant attachment and by avoidant attachment to their therapist showed the least improvement. A low-avoidant client-therapist attachment match led to a greater decrease in symptom distress than when a low-avoidant therapist treated a high-avoidant client. Conclusions: These findings suggest the importance of considering client-therapist attachment matching and the need to pay attention to the special challenges involved in treating avoidant clients in order to facilitate progress in psychotherapy.

Parent–adolescent relationships and social adjustment: The case of a collectivistic culture

This study examined how parent-adolescent relationships are related to adolescent loneliness, interpersonal difficulties and school adjustment among Israeli Arabs. Two hundred and thirty-one 11th graders (103 boys and 128 girls) and their homeroom teachers participated. Four groups of adolescents were identified according to parenting practice profiles: Adolescents in the harsh parenting group reported the highest levels of loneliness, those in the distant and mixed groups reported midway levels of loneliness, and those in the warm group showed the lowest degree of loneliness and the lowest levels of interpersonal problems. Overall, boys reported higher levels of peer-related loneliness and lower levels of affinity for aloneness than girls. Gender interacted significantly with parenting group, with girls in the harsh parenting group exhibiting greater parent-related loneliness and affinity for loneliness, while boys exhibited more peer-related loneliness. The important role that parents play in their childrens social adjustment is discussed in relation to gender and culture.

“You were always on my mind”: Therapists’ intersession experiences in relation to their therapeutic practice, professional characteristics, and quality of life

Abstract The experience of “being held in the mind of another” is a powerful metaphor for any relationship and is particularly pertinent to the therapist–patient bond. This study explores the frequency of therapists’ thoughts and feelings about their patients between sessions (intersession experiences) and the relation of these to therapists’ professional and demographic characteristics, difficulties experienced and coping strategies used in practice, and personal quality of life. Therapists (N=1,040) from the United States, Canada, and New Zealand completed the Therapist Intersession Experience Scale included in a survey with the Development of Psychotherapists Common Core Questionnaire (Orlinsky & Rønnestad, 2005). Controlling for nationality, analyses showed that frequency of intersession experiences was associated most strongly with therapists’ general level of difficulties in practice (10.3% of variance), use of constructive coping strategies (3.4%), and a few professional characteristics (3.9% combined). Implications of these findings for clinical theory and practice are discussed.

Close relationships in adolescence: The case of the kibbutz

In this article, studies on close relationships among kibbutz adolescents are reviewed. The case of the kibbutz is examined in terms of the balance between relationship with parents and relationship with peers in the kibbutz as compared to the city and moshav, as well as within the kibbutz between communal vs. familial sleeping arrangements. The reviewed studies address three issues: Intimacy with a best friend; self-disclosure and emotional expression toward peers, parents, and figures outside the family; and peer group relations. Studies on intimacy in young adults, married adults, and parent-daughter relationships are considered as pointing to the possible consequences of the patterns observed during adolescence. Differences in intimacy and emotional expression among adolescents in the different settings are interpreted in terms of the effects of structural variables (sleeping arrangement, degree of contact with parents and peers) being a marker for greater peer involvement. It is argued that adolescents are likely to maintain their more inhibited pattern of expression of intimacy into adulthood when they stay in the same setting. Change in the level of expressed intimacy is likely to occur in adulthood, with change of setting. Based on cross-sectional studies, it is speculated that it is possible to close developmental gaps in intimacy at a later stage, thus supporting a situational-based pattern of intimacy and closeness.

Attachment in Romantic Couples and Perceptions of a Joint Drawing Session

This study examined the postsession evaluations of romantic partners that engaged in a joint drawing task, which is a commonly used technique in art therapy. The shared nonverbal interaction between partners while drawing together is assumed to elicit tensions between closeness and individuality among the partners. To examine couples’ postsession evaluations and their associations to the attachment characteristics of the partners, each of 60 romantic couples drew on one shared sheet of paper and completed the Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) and the adult romantic attachment scale. As hypothesized, both attachment-related anxiety and attachment-related avoidance were negatively correlated with perceptions of the joint drawing session as smooth and positive. Women evaluated session depth as greater than did men, with the widest gap found in the insecure—insecure couple attachment combination. The importance of evaluating the divergent experiences of participants in a joint drawing session and the interpersonal dynamics in anxious woman—avoidant man couples are discussed.

Collaboration in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

The concept of the collaborative relationship between patient and therapist has its roots in the psychodynamic literature. We trace the concept of collaboration in psychodynamic psychotherapy from classical psychoanalysis to contemporary psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies. The active collaboration between the participants central to Bordins pan-theoretical perspective on the alliance is highlighted. Developments in alliance-fostering techniques and in relational therapy offer the clinician innovative ways to enhance the collaboration and to repair strained or ruptured collaboration. A case study illustrates how the collaborative work in psychodynamic therapy serves as both a means of productive work and as an arena for exploring the evolving here-and-now matrix of the relationship.

A Systematic Comparison of Two Cases in Mann's Time-Limited Psychotherapy: An Events Approach

In this study we combined the events approach and Strupps design in order to conduct a systematic comparison of two cases in Manns Time-Limited Psychotherapy (TLP). Two patients treated by the same therapist, yet resulting in divergent outcomes, were drawn from the Jerusalem Time-Limited Psychotherapy Project. A change event in TLP that begins with a “central issue” marker was identified and the client performances and therapist operations leading to successful event-outcome were described. Using the event as the unit of analysis, in-therapy event processes were rated on the Vanderbilt Psychotherapy Process Scale (VPPS). A comparison of the VPPS ratings across the three phases of treatment (initial, middle, and termination) showed a rise in patient participation in the successful case, and a decline in patient exploration in the unsuccessful case. This context-specific approach seems to yield clinically relevant findings for the practice and training of TLP therapists.