Investigates Darth Vader's character from the "Star Wars" movies, stimulated by the psychiatric treatment of a schizophrenic male with the delusion that he was Darth Vader. Discusses the temptations and threats from Darth Vader, which coincide with themes and fantasies of childhood and adolescence. Suggests that Darth Vader's sacrifice…

Reacts to Fischer et al's article concerning reconceptualizing multicultural counseling. Agrees that psychotherapy is best understood as a function of the culture which sustains it. Discusses the implications for research brought forward by the article's view that psychotherapy is a branch of rhetoric, particularly the art of persuasion. (MKA)

Reacts to Fischer et al's article concerning reconceptualizing multicultural counseling. Argues that the conditions identified are interesting, but other conditions exist, and that the suggestion of reconceptualization is not valid. Discusses the implications presented by the authors' choice of language. Proposes that knowledge of multicultural…

Argues that the healer acts as the muse of the humanities, while the humanities function as healer's creative force. Describes how the author reached the crossroads of the humanities and healing (as an English professor and a psychotherapist), and examines the work of John Keats. Shows how poetry therapists stand at the crossroads where emotion…

Presents a response to D. A. Helminiak's (2001) article from the perspective of K. Wilber's integral psychology. Discusses a summary of integral psychology; various conceptual issues; and usefulness to mental health practitioners (MHPs). Argues that K. Wilber's model is more comprehensive, clear, coherent, and helpful to MHPs than Helminiak's…

This article argues that meditation guided by a competent teacher can be a positive influence in contemporary American society and even a force for progressive social change. A number of critical issues requiring further study are identified, including the need for a better understanding of meditation from the perspective of developmental…

Since Freud's own time, there has been great deal of debate about the most appropriate research methodology for investigating psychoanalytic psychotherapy [Fonagy, "Journal of Child Psychotherapy", 29 (2): 129-136, 2003; Rustin, "Journal of Child Psychotherapy", 29 (2): 137-145, 2003]. The single case study, which has a long tradition both within…

It is fitting that the concept of all having one and having prizes is attributed to the Dodo-Bird. The dodo was a flightless bird. In shape and form it was similar to the modern turkey. The dodo was native to Mauritius, where it lived for thousands of years before domestic animals brought to Mauritius hunted it to extinction. The last live…

The product of mental health counseling, unlike that of most professions, remains invisible to most people, leaving counselors vulnerable in a competitive market. The author argues that clinicians should recognize the value of, understand, and begin using outcome measures in their work. Research focusing on critical problems in psychotherapy…

This report presents a dialectical model of identity development which is based on observations of how the self evolves within the context of feminist/transpersonal therapy. Developmental stages which are identified include fusion (Stage I), differentiation (Stage II), and integration (Stage III) of the Child (asserting) and Parent (nurturing)…

Burnout among psychotherapists appears to be low; most psychotherapists seem quite satisfied with their work and untouched by the dysfunctional symptoms of burnout. Interviews with 60 therapists revealed that most considered "lack of therapeutic success" to be the single most stressful aspect of therapeutic work. Burnout was most often attributed…

There is little attention in the literature to the dyad of the woman therapist and the man patient; as a result, the woman therapist is faced with a poverty of theoretical accounts upon which she can draw in her clinical work. Although analytically-oriented work must focus on individual histories rather than cultural internalizations, analysis of…

The author examines the three crises he feels family therapy has passed through in the last three decades, including the need to transcend its focus on schizophrenia and to deal with families differing widely in socioeconimic origin. The current challenge is the need for professionalization of the field. (Author)

Responds to Mahoney and Lyddon's review of constructivism in previous article by focusing on developments emerged from work with Neo-Cognitive Psychotherapy that add new and necessary dimension to issues of agency and constructivism. Presents neo-cognitive view of thought and discusses the evolution of understanding. (NB)

Reacts to four cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approaches of systematic desensitization, rational restructuring, anxiety management training, and stress inoculation training, and to previous articles discussing the approaches. Concludes that approaches seem uniquely well-suited to use as part of deliberate psychological education efforts. (NB)