Trusting in Psychotherapy is an important book that fills a lamentable void: although virtually everyone—therapists, students, and patients alike—believes that trust is the foundation of psychotherapy, the topic has been neglected in the psychiatric literature, to the detriment of the therapeutic relationship. The author, who brings five decades of study and practice to the enterprise, posits that cultivating trusting psychotherapy bonds—especially for patients who have experienced developmental trauma in close relationships—is complex, challenging, and a critically important topic for examination. Whereas therapists are inclined to focus on patients' problems with trust, the author argues that trusting cannot be understood apart from trustworthiness and that therapists should give equal attention to the task of becoming trustworthy to their patients. Blending developmental science and ethical thought in an interdisciplinary spirit, the author draws on contemporary writings of philosophers to elucidate the concepts of trust and trustworthiness. What it means to trust in the practice of psychotherapy; the many facets of trusting and trustworthiness; attachment relationships, both secure and insecure; the central role of hope in trust; and the ethical-moral basis of trusting and trustworthiness—these and other topics are addressed with competence and care.

Intellectually engaging and designed to provoke thought, the book: