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Shame in the Therapy Hour
Excessive shame can be associated with poor psychological adjustment, interpersonal difficulties, and overall poor life functioning. Consequently, shame is prevalent among individuals undergoing psychotherapy. Yet, there is limited guidance for clinicians trying to help their clients deal with shame-related concerns.
This book explores the manifestations of shame and presents several approaches for treatment. It brings together the insights of master clinicians from different theoretical and practice orientations, such as psychodynamics, object relations, emotion-focused therapy, functional analysis, group therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy.
The chapters address all aspects of shame, including how it develops, how it relates to psychological difficulties, how to recognize it, and how to help clients resolve it. Strategies for dealing with therapist shame are also provided, since therapist shame can be triggered during sessions and can complicate the therapeutic alliance.
With rich, detailed case studies in almost every chapter, this book will be a practical resource for clinicians working with a broad range of populations and clinical problems.
This book explores the manifestations of shame and presents several approaches for treatment. It brings together the insights of master clinicians from different theoretical and practice orientations, such as psychodynamics, object relations, emotion-focused therapy, functional analysis, group therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy.
The chapters address all aspects of shame, including how it develops, how it relates to psychological difficulties, how to recognize it, and how to help clients resolve it. Strategies for dealing with therapist shame are also provided, since therapist shame can be triggered during sessions and can complicate the therapeutic alliance.
With rich, detailed case studies in almost every chapter, this book will be a practical resource for clinicians working with a broad range of populations and clinical problems.
428 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 15, 2011
I co-wrote a chapter on the Connections Shame Resilience curriculum with Brene Brown and Yolanda Villareal. Do check this out...
December 3, 2016
More a reflection than a review:
Ever since Brene Brown's books reframed my whole worldview about shame and its ubiquitous manifestations in our daily life, reading about shame and its biopsychosocial effects have been therapeutic for me. I have developed some skepticism towards books that aim to explain away the world with one very strong view, but this concept of shame in therapy (and really everyday life) has withstood my personal tests of logic and meaning.
Surprisingly, Brene Brown's research hardly dominated this compilation of shame research. Instead, the book approaches shame in various therapeutic models (psychodynamic, emotion-focused, group psychotherapy etc.) and client groups (personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder etc.). Despite the apparent differences in contexts, what I do see are the common themes that surface consistently across the papers. The importance of acknowledging and discussing shame in a safe therapeutic environment, the need for courageous confrontation of shame and subduing the reflexive need for avoidance, harnessing the awareness of shame to fuel personal transformation.
I did raise my eyebrows at citations of certain research by the authors to substantiate their points. It once again felt like a case of selective confirmation bias - I only quote whatever evidence supports my point. For that matter, only Brene Brown's grounded theory approach, where hypotheses are formulated only after data collection, makes more sense to me.
All in all, this book is helpful to me, as it adapts the various therapeutic modalities in the frame of shame. As an academic compilation, it is notably lighter and probably still accessible to the layman.
Ever since Brene Brown's books reframed my whole worldview about shame and its ubiquitous manifestations in our daily life, reading about shame and its biopsychosocial effects have been therapeutic for me. I have developed some skepticism towards books that aim to explain away the world with one very strong view, but this concept of shame in therapy (and really everyday life) has withstood my personal tests of logic and meaning.
Surprisingly, Brene Brown's research hardly dominated this compilation of shame research. Instead, the book approaches shame in various therapeutic models (psychodynamic, emotion-focused, group psychotherapy etc.) and client groups (personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder etc.). Despite the apparent differences in contexts, what I do see are the common themes that surface consistently across the papers. The importance of acknowledging and discussing shame in a safe therapeutic environment, the need for courageous confrontation of shame and subduing the reflexive need for avoidance, harnessing the awareness of shame to fuel personal transformation.
I did raise my eyebrows at citations of certain research by the authors to substantiate their points. It once again felt like a case of selective confirmation bias - I only quote whatever evidence supports my point. For that matter, only Brene Brown's grounded theory approach, where hypotheses are formulated only after data collection, makes more sense to me.
All in all, this book is helpful to me, as it adapts the various therapeutic modalities in the frame of shame. As an academic compilation, it is notably lighter and probably still accessible to the layman.
July 22, 2025
An excellent and essential read for ethical care with shame-prone clients, as well as for understanding the potential impact of therapist shame on clinical outcomes.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews