Ground Rules in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Robert Langs has long been one of the most individual and controversial psychoanalytic theorists. In this book, he concentrates on one of the most prominent areas of his thought: his insistence upon adherence to strict rules for boundaries (or "frames") in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

Starting from the statement that "Throughout the history of the universe, frames, contexts, rules, and boundaries have been vital aspects of the development and very existence of both physical structures and living organisms," Langs goes on to examine the profile of the issues of boundaries in psychoanalytic thought. He discusses Freud's technique papers on the subject, and goes on to elucidate his own approach, rooted in his thinking on evolutionary and adaptive processes which he has discussed in his previous work. Throughout the book, Langs gives both theoretical discussions and practical groundings of his ideas.

As with his previous book, Doing Supervision and Being Supervised (1994), Robert Langs here brings his unique energy and viewpoint to bear on an important but little-examined topic. Whether or not the reader agrees with him, Ground Rules in Psychotherapy and Counselling is essential reading for psychotherapists and psychoanalysts concerned about these vital issues.