Some psychoanalytic models focus on "how" and "when" particular events may have shaped an individual's emotional and behavioral trajectories in life. In a field as accelerated as psychiatry, it's tempting to use this information to rush to a diagnosis.

The object relations model, as clearly outlined in this compelling volume from Dr. Christopher Miller, offers an attractive alternative: it emphasizes how a patient's early development has informed interpersonal relationship templates and how these play out in the here-and-now of the clinical encounter.

As accessible to the trainee as it is relevant to the experienced clinician, this guide describes how leaning into the therapist-patient dyad (including transference-countertransference dynamics) provides a fertile ground for learning about the patient's past more vividly.

Among the book's standout features are: