The Object Relations Lens

A Psychodynamic Framework for the Beginning Therapist

Christopher Miller
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
235 pages
ISBN: 9781615374281
October 2022

Some psychoanalytic models focus on "how" and "when" particular events may have shaped an individual's emotional and behavioral trajectories in life. The object relations model, as clearly outlined in this compelling volume, offers an attractive alternative: it emphasizes how a patient's early development has informed interpersonal relationship templates and how these play out in the here-and-now of the clinical encounter. As accessible to the trainee as it is relevant to the experienced clinician, this guide describes how leaning into the therapist-patient dyad provides a fertile ground for learning about the patient's past more vividly.