When Psychotherapy Feels Stuck

by Mary Jo Peebles

Every therapist feels stuck at some point. Dr. Peebles offers ways of working with patients that clear openings for growth inside those stuck-places. When Psychotherapy Feels Stuck integrates wisdom from multiple theoretical schools. It balances explicit, systematized frameworks for thinking with sensory-based metaphors. Chapters interweave empirical research with clinical vignettes to describe the power of language choices, tolerating not-knowing, risking relationship, and creating meaning. Therapists from all theoretical backgrounds and experience levels will find something unexpected here that sparks hope and a fresh take when feeling stuck.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

148 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2021

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the few psychotherapy books I’ve read where the writing is legitimately beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on “Learning to Not Know”; the section about embodying “curiosity, play, and creativity” described exactly how I want to be as a therapist.

“Playful thinking is finding the interesting questions inside declarations and putting semicolons where the patient has pasted on a period.“

[Hanan AL-Raddadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books teach you something new, others mend your heart, but very few books can do both. Reading Peebles’s book feels like sitting with a compassionate mentor. You are encouraged to contemplate, ponder and feel human.
The first chapter tells you that change takes time, so you take your time reading, and you fight any illusion that this book will give you instant results. The second chapter paves the way for the coming chapters; how we talk about our struggles matters, we have to be aware of our words because they shape our thoughts and how we see the world, and remember that logic alone can’t transform us internally. After four chapters, the compassionate mentor reminds that you can’t know everything and that’s OK. Next, it is time to learn about the four models of recognizing and working with rupture in the therapeutic alliance. Finally, let’s talk about the meaning of life.
The book is written in a poetic language that’s accessible for professional and laypersons alike.

[S. Firstenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a book for practitioners. Anyone can benefit from reading this gem of a book. Using examples from her own practice, Dr. Peebles explains common ways in which psychotherapy can feel "stuck" and provides much advice on how to get things moving forward again.

Her book offers a fascinating peek into the mind of a therapist. For parents of children undergoing therapy, it can provide insight into what can go wrong in the therapeutic process or relationship, helping them to understand what to watch out for. (The section about the patient's relationship to the diagnosis is particularly revealing, as is the section about transference and counter transference.)

What surprised me most about this beautifully written book was how much of it can be applied to and enhance our daily interactions. From the loaded content of "try," to the power of "yet," Dr. Peebles teaches the importance of words. She explains how affirming it is to address people by their names (something we do much less often than we realize). She offers ways to enhance awareness and, best of all, she teaches us the value of sometimes NOT knowing.

The small size of this book belies the immense amount of practical wisdom that awaits within its pages.

[Lisa Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one for work. If you’re a therapist, you’re GOING to feel stuck sometimes. This is less an instruction manual and more a theoretical or philosophical stance. Very helpful.