Case Studies in Relational Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

‘While it is often said that we learn more from our mistakes than our successes, few analysts dare to revisit what went wrong. Beth Feldman, however, boldly steps into that space, offering nine riveting case studies from her clinical practice. With rare transparency, she invites readers behind the closed doors of the therapy room and into the mind of an analyst grappling with the emotional and intellectual challenges of treatment—both during and long after it ends. Feldman’s gift for storytelling shines on every page, guiding us through moments of laughter, tears, anxiety, and awe as we witness the profound transformations that reshape both therapist and patient.’

Danielle Knafo, PhD, psychoanalyst, professor, author

‘Dr. Feldman offers us an inimitable look into her inner world as she shares her experience of compelling clinical encounters with eight individual patients and one couple. She bravely illustrates misattunements, ruptures, and repairs with an openness that is courageous and admirable and offers us an imaginative series of reflections on what she might have done differently, if only she could ‘turn back time.’ In these accounts, Dr. Feldman unveils her own vulnerability, taking us behind the clinical curtain, and sharing the experiences of growth, regret, and longing that are part and parcel of the practicing clinician’s life. This book is a must read for clinicians and for anyone with a curious mind.’

Jean Petrucelli, Ph.D., training & supervising analyst, The William Alanson White Institute, faculty & clinical consultant, NYU Postdoctoral Program

Beth I. Feldman, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and relational psychoanalyst with a private practice in Plainview, New York. She treats adults and adolescents in individual, couples, and group therapy. Beth is the co-host of the podcast “Being a Parent Is Hard!” She is adjunct faculty at Post Graduate Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, Derner Institute, Adelphi University. Beth has two adult children and lives with her husband and three dogs.