Jerrold R. Brandell

Trauma : contemporary directions in theory, practice, and research

Overview Cognitive-Behavioral Theory Psychoanalytic Theory (Part I) Psychoanalytic Theory (Part II) Attachment Theory, Infant Research, and Neurobiology Art Therapy with Traumatically Bereaved Children Military Bereavement and Combat Trauma The Trauma of Bullying Experiences Traumas of Development in the Gay Male Cultural and Historical Trauma Among Native Americans The Effects of Trauma Treatment on the Therapist

Psychodynamic Perspectives on Relationship: Implications of New Findings From Human Attachment and the Neurosciences for Social Work Education

In this article, the historical significance of the therapeutic relationship in social casework theory and practice is discussed and elaborated on in relation to contemporary psychodynamic theories and constructs, such as the therapeutic alliance, the holding relationship, and selfobject theory. The significant contributions of investigators in such diverse fields as infant attachment, neurobiology, and feminist theory are then discussed in relation to these psychoanalytic ideas. Based in part upon recent research being conducted in such fields, a more central role is proposed for psychodynamic conceptions of relationship in the education of social work clinicians.

The Marginalization of Psychoanalysis in Academic Social Work

Abstract Over the past 25 years, psychoanalytic contributions to our understanding of human development, psychopathology, and clinical practice have gradually become marginalized in academic social work. Although this trend is rooted in historical tensions within the profession, contemporary issues have also contributed to the widespread failure to acknowledge the salience of psychoanalytic ideas in the instruction of social work graduate students. The influence of managed care, efforts within the academy to accommodate to a narrow definition of empirical science, and the domination of biological models of causality are among those factors. The role of the Council on Social Work Education, and specifically, problems in the language of its current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, is also discussed in detail.

Psychoanalysis in the Halls of Social Work Academe: Can this Patient be Saved?

Over the past 30 years, psychoanalytic contributions to our understanding of human development, psychopathology and clinical practice have gradually become marginalized in academic social work. Although this trend is partially rooted in historical tensions within the profession, contemporary issues have also contributed to the widespread failure to acknowledge the salience of psychoanalytic ideas in the instruction of social work graduate students. The influence of managed care, changes in the academy as well as within the profession, and the domination of biological models of causality are among those factors reviewed. This paper also examines specific critiques that have been made against psychoanalytic thought, with detailed attention to two: (1) ‘Psychodynamic ideas cannot be empirically validated,’ and (2) ‘Psychoanalysis is an elite method of treatment.’

Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Attachment

Bowlbys theoretical conception of attachment represented a highly original and substantively unique paradigm for understanding the psychological and social development of human infants, as well as the short- and longer-term sequelae of failures in attachment. His ideas have also been highly generative, leading to a vast scientific literature that now encompasses several different disciplinary domains. Moreover, unlike many psychoanalytic developmental concepts, Bowlbys attachment theory is regarded by many social scientists as eminently researchable. Nevertheless, despite increasing popularity, Bowlbys ideas about human development are not universally embraced by dynamically oriented clinicians, who may favor other theoretical frameworks to explain developmental phenomena or psychopathology, or perhaps both. How are we to understand Bowlbys ideas about attachment, separation, and loss in light of other psychoanalytic developmental theories? To address this issue, the “goodness of fit” between attachment theory and four important contemporary psychoanalytic frameworks for understanding human development will be examined. Selected because each offers a unique vision of development, the four are Harry Stack Sullivans interpersonal model, Margaret Mahlers separation-individuation theory, Erik Eriksons epigenetic model, and Heinz Kohuts psychology of the self. Each will be examined in detail, with particular attention to controversies and points of convergence.

Countertransference as communication: Intersubjectivity in the treatment of a traumatized adolescent patient

Abstract This paper explores important issues associated with the twin themes of dynamic adolescent psychotherapy and countertrans‐ference. Following a review of the burgeoning treatment literature on countertransference and the unique theoretical and clinical contributions of classical and totalistic orientations, contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives on intersubjectivity are discussed. The neglect of countertransference in the child and adolescent treatment literature is examined, and unique countertransference issues linked to this population are described. Finally, a detailed clinical illustration involving a severely traumatized late adolescent is provided as a means of highlighting certain concepts derived from intersubjectivity theory, with particular attention to the transference‐countertransference matrix.

Focal-Conflict Theory: A Model for Teaching Dynamic Practice

The focal-conflict model is an instrument used to analyze a clients verbal process. It is a valuable classroom and supervisory tool for illustrating various aspects of psychodynamic practice theory. The author discusses in detail the use of the focal-conflict instrument as a process measure.

Essentials of clinical social work

Systems Theory - Bruce Friedman, Karen Allen Behavioral and Cognitive Theories - Bruce Thyer, Laura Myers Psychoanalytic Theory - Fredric Perlman Neurobiology and Clinical Social Work - Dennis Miehls Clinical Practice with Children - Alan Levy Clinical Social Work with Adolescents - Randolph Lucente Family Therapy - Froma Walsh Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Adults - Donald Granvold Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Adults - Fredric Perlman Group Treatment with Children and Adolescents - Joan Lesser Group Treatment with Adults - Charles Garvin The Challenge of Clinical Work with Survivors of Trauma - Roberta Graziano Clinical Social Work in Conditions of Disaster and Terrorism - Martha Bragin Dynamic Approaches to Brief and Time-Limited Clinical Social Work - Jerrold Brandell Social Work Interventions with Alcohol and Drug Problems - Maryann Amodeo, Luz Lopez Loss and Mourning: A Life Cycle Perspective - Peggy Brunhofer

Eighty Years of Dream Sequences: A Cinematic Journey Down Freud's "Royal Road"

“The secrets of who you are and what has made you run away from yourself—all these secrets are buried in your brain—but you don’t want to look at them. The human being very often doesn’t want to know the truth about himself because he thinks it will make him sick. So, he makes himself sicker trying to forget. . . . Now, here is where dreams come in. They tell you what you are trying to hide. But they tell it to you all mixed up, like pieces of a puzzle that don’t fit. The problem of the analyst is to examine this puzzle, and put the pieces together in the right place, and find out what the devil you are trying to say to yourself.” —Dr. Brulov, in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound

Using children's autogenic stories in dynamic clinical assessment

This article explores the usefulness of autogenic or stimulus-independent stories as an instrument for the dynamically oriented clinical assessment of children. Although childrens projective stories have long been used in psychodiagnostic and therapeutic work, stories elicited from children during clinical assessment have generally been nonautogenic in nature. It is argued that childrens autogenic stories can provide valuable information about the childs personality, conflicts, and defensive accomodations, and in a manner analogous to the adult clients first dream told in treatment, can serve as a sort of “life narrative” for the child.