Self-harm is worryingly common in young women, and is often used as a way of easing emotional suffering. Self-Harm: A Psychotherapeutic Approach explores the issues involved from the perspective of a psychoanalytical psychotherapist. Fiona Gardner examines these issues through extensive clinical material and an analysis of the social and cultural influences behind self-harm. This book will be of interest to all those working with those who are harming themselves, including psychotherapists, school counsellors, social workers and mental health clinicians.
Introduction. Meanings - Conscious Reasoning and Unconscious Motivation. Turning the Anger Inwards - Masochism and Mastery. Pre-disposing Factors in Adolescence Linked to Self-harm. Reversing the Process - From Action to Articulation. The Psychodynamics of the Psychotherapeutic Process with Patients who are Harming Themselves. Speculations on Historical, Cultural and Social Aspects. Concluding Thoughts.
