Principles of Interpretation

Steven T. Levy, M.D., is Bernard C. Holland Professor and chief of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

The writing is clear, concise, and confident. The book's tone and content effectively make the author's point that psychotherapy is a powerful instrument which requires self-discipline, knowledge, no mean intellectual effort, and considerable technical skill, in addition to the therapist's sympathetic and considerate attitude. Beginning therapists will feel constructively challenged by this message and by the author's criticism of experiential and humanistic approaches for their antitechnical and antitheoretical biases. The book's organization broadly follows the phases of therapy with systematic discussions of the data to be understood, transference, resistance, countertransference, the therapeutic alliance, and special problems. A concluding chapter discusses general principles of interpretation, working through, and timing. A valuable feature is the author's annotated list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter.