Psychotherapy, Society, and Politics

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the overlap between personal and political aspects of life within the context of psychotherapy. It sketches out a clear and detailed narrative of the complex interrelations between psychotherapy, society, and politics. It articulates a theoretical basis for politically conscious and socially responsible therapy work, as well as the guiding principles in implementing this position. Many psychotherapists find themselves struggling when faced with political issues that come up in treatment, both overtly and covertly. Many of them find value in clarifying political aspects of clients' lives and psychotherapy itself, but are hesitant to touch upon this loaded issue or do not know how to approach it. Nissim Avissar's book opens up new possibilities of thinking afresh on psychotherapy, in a way that takes into account real life conditions and the effects of professional work on the social environment.

Nissim Avissar teaches in the Kibbutzim College of Education and the School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center - Herzliya (IDC), Israel. He is an Israeli clinical psychologist and has published and presented work on the interplay between psychology and education on the one hand and politics, social responsibility, and political engagement (or activism) on the other, particularly within the Israeli context.

Part I - Theory .- 1. Politics, not what you had in mind! .- 2. Psychotherapy's forgotten political narrative .- 3. The return of the political to the discourse of therapy .- 4. Psychotherapy: between the personal and the political .- 5. Theories with an agenda .- Part II - Practice .- 6. Politics in professional training .- 7. "Psychology under the influence": Psychologists Versus Injurious Realities .- 8. Politically sensitive psychotherapy .- 9. Political Attentiveness: Dealing with Political Materials in Therapy .- 10. The Alchemy of Psychotherapy: Transforming Discontent into Power .- Part IV - The Israeli Case .- 11. Psychotherapy as a mirror of society: The Israeli context .- 12. "Political dialogues": Critical analysis of the psychotherapeutic discourse in Israel .- 13. Politics in therapy: A survey among Israeli clinical psychologists .- 14. Clinical psychologists facing psychopolitical dilemmas .- 15. An Israeli psychotherapy? .- Epilogue.