A Safe Place: Laying the Groundwork of Psychotherapy,

Capacious intelligence, generous spirit and quirky grace characterize this collection of essays from the author of Making Contact . Focusing on the interaction between therapist and patient, the aptly named Havens, a psychiatrist, calls for a reliably secure relationship--the safe place of the title--in which the two can approach healing change together. Often exploring issues raised by specific patients--including, among others, one who committed suicide, a schizophrenic and a psychopath--Havens introduces a powerful humanity to the case study, using his experiences of these individuals to illustrate what seemed to work, what mistakes were made, and what conclusions might cautiously be drawn. Finding value in silence and reward in surprise, he advocates that therapists balance credulity with skepticism, charging them ``to stay with the battle and feel, and not run from what must be borne.'' In fluent prose, he explicates the delicate paradoxes which comprise his field; his ideas may best be appreciated by readers familiar with psychotherapy and analysis. Paying respect to Freud and homage to Harry Stack Sullivan, Havens calls for a more humanized psychotherapy, one all the more demanding for its elusive, unquantifiable, increasingly important goals. (Oct.)