Author(s): Christine A. S. Hill

Psychotherapy

What do Patients Want? provides readers with an insight into patients' psychoanalytic experiences 'from the couch'. Outcome studies have usually privileged the practitioner or researcher's voice, whilst underutilizing the rich published accounts of patients' own stories. Thus very little is understood or valued as to what actually takes place between patient and analyst, from the patient's perspective. This book sets out to tell the stories of eighteen ex-patients who, in interviews, reflected upon their experiences and described the factors which they believed were helpful - or not - in their analytic treatment. Free associating to an open question about how they understood and gave meaning to their personal journeys, these patients provided very vivid accounts of their analyses, demonstrated with clinical material. Their stories generally indicate a sophisticated understanding of the analytic process. Significant findings are discussed in each chapter, and then key conceptual issues are brought together at the end. The book is written in a journey format with each chapter related to a specific theme. The patients describe how the whole process began, and then bring up issues linked with working through the transference/ counter-transference relationship in its multi-faceted aspects, and finally reflect upon the termination period and its aftermath.

About the author:
Christine A. S. Hill, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist working with individuals and groups. Both her Masters and Ph.D were in the field of psychoanalysis. She has a background in primary school teaching, general and emergency nursing, clinical tutoring in both psychological medicine and counselling psychology, and research and clinical work at the Mental Health Research Institute, Melbourne. Christine is a Past President of the Australian Association of Group Psychotherapists; a member of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Association of Australasia and the Psychoanalytic Studies Association of Australasia; and a member of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) College of Research Fellows. She is currently Regional Editor for the Southern Hemisphere of the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies. Christine has presented at several international conferences, published papers, and received two funding grants from the IPA to assist with her doctoral exploration of patients' perspectives of psychoanalysis, now the basis of this book.