Ira Steinman

As far as I am aware, there is no other book like this out there. No one else has so thoroughly described the psychological treatment of psychotic patients when concepts of self psychology are utilized to apprehend the therapist’s work and its efficacy. Of particular merit is the authors’ extensive description of clinical process, which vividly depicts how they struggled with the challenges they encountered in their work with these patients and how remarkably effective they were. The authors’ extensive clinical illustrations—often including verbatim dialogue—merit close attention.
Howard Bacal, Psychoanalytic Quarterly, October 2016

...it may be that Steinman has a special ability for this that is not only remarkable, I suspect, but also relatively uncommon—and possibly essential—in order to treat these patients effectively.
Furthermore, Steinman is not only especially talented, trained, and tolerant when it comes to interacting with psychotic people and helping them reclaim their wholeness; he was also a virtual self psychologist even before he encountered and assimilated Kohut’s selfobject theory.
Howard Bacal, Psychoanalytic Quarterly, October 2016

At the end of a very moving tale of the treatment of a psychotic woman, the patient tells the therapist, You've given me my life. The therapist, one of the authors of this book, replies, Thanks. It's been a gift to both of us. So, too, one must thank the authors of Self Psychology and Psychosis for the gift given to readers of this volume that employs the theory of self psychology to guide and to better understand the psychotherapy of psychoses.
Arnold Goldberg, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Rush Medical College; training and supervising analyst, the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis; author of The Brain, the Mind, and the Self: A Psychoanalytic Roadmap

This book should be firmly recommended to all teams of mental health professionals who come into contact with the more severely mentally ill, especially those who experience psychosis. Through a number of examples, the text demonstrates clearly how substantive numbers of those who are currently readily regarded as suffering from chronic disorders, especially schizophrenia, can in fact be helped to substantially recover and live satisfying lives through modern forms of skilled psychodynamic psychotherapy. The book focuses on the damage to the self and how this can be repaired in psychosis, especially using concepts from self psychology.

Dr Brian Martindale, Chair of the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis

In an era of somatic and medication treatments, David Garfield and Ira Steinman have reminded us of the importance of listening to our patients with empathy and understanding, even those patients who are psychotic and disorganized. They remind us to see our patients as whole persons. Inside this volume, you will read how these experienced authors and clinicians empathize, query, interpret, and confront the whole patient. These skilled therapists demonstrate with captivating stories how, by making patients feel understood, patients can make huge advances in their recovery and healing. I highly recommend Self Psychology and Psychosis.

Renée Binder, MD, Professor and Director, Psychiatry and Law Program, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, President-Elect, American Psychiatric Association

David Garfield and Ira Steinman use a series of evocative and compelling case examples to illustrate how the principles of self psychology can be effectively applied in intensive psychotherapy with psychotic patients. Their fascinating and instructive presentation is an invaluable guide to productive clinical work with disturbed patients who too often are mistakenly judged to be beyond the reach of talking therapies.

Owen Renik, MD, former Editor, Psychoanalytic Quarterly; training and supervising analyst, San Francisco Psychoanalytic Center