Alistair Ross – författare

Dr Alistair Ross is a University of Oxford academic whose previous work has been described by Ruby Wax as ‘very, very smart’. This new introductory book strikes an easy balance between theory and practice. It takes the reader from the field’s Freudian roots to its contemporary applications, skills and insights.

Over the last 30 years, important new theoretical ideas, skills and clinical practices have emerged in counselling and psychotherapy. While key Freudian concepts like transference, counter-transference and the influence of the past on the present remain vital to psychodynamic work, research drawn from infant development, neuroscience, the role of the sacred, and intersubjective approaches to relationships has changed the way therapists understand and work with clients. Either in its own right or as part of an integrative approach, psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy have an important role to play in developments to come.

The book’s features include:

• A re-discovery of the importance and relevance of Freud for present-day therapeutic relationships.

• An encounter with the breadth and depth of our understanding about, and experience of, the unconscious.

• An introduction to research that has evolved after Freud, revealing new ways of applying his ideas.

• A contemporary perspective on traditional counselling and psychotherapy skills, illustrated by vignettes and personal insights from Alistair Ross’s professional practice.

• An encouragement to develop new skills for relating at depth with our clients’ past, present and future, motivated by revealing how life-changing therapy can be.

This book is a must-read for trainee and practising (psychodynamic or integrative) therapists who want an overview of new thinking and practice or might benefit from greater insight into psychodynamic practice, applying Freud’s theoretical world to improving the lives of real people today.

‘It is good to see Alistair, a valued student of mine and now an equally valued colleague, taking up the torch for psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy for a new generation. He has written a book that collates much of the valuable writing to date and at the same time adds new dimensions that should not be overlooked.’Michael Jacobs, Visiting Professor, University of Leeds and Bournemouth University, UK

Dr Alistair Ross is a University of Oxford academic whose previous work has been described by Ruby Wax as ‘very, very smart’. This new introductory book strikes an easy balance between theory and practice. It takes the reader from the field’s Freudian roots to its contemporary applications, skills and insights.

Over the last 30 years, important new theoretical ideas, skills and clinical practices have emerged in counselling and psychotherapy. While key Freudian concepts like transference, counter-transference and the influence of the past on the present remain vital to psychodynamic work, research drawn from infant development, neuroscience, the role of the sacred, and intersubjective approaches to relationships has changed the way therapists understand and work with clients. Either in its own right or as part of an integrative approach, psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy have an important role to play in developments to come.

The book’s features include:

• A re-discovery of the importance and relevance of Freud for present-day therapeutic relationships.

• An encounter with the breadth and depth of our understanding about, and experience of, the unconscious.

• An introduction to research that has evolved after Freud, revealing new ways of applying his ideas.

• A contemporary perspective on traditional counselling and psychotherapy skills, illustrated by vignettes and personal insights from Alistair Ross’s professional practice.

• An encouragement to develop new skills for relating at depth with our clients’ past, present and future, motivated by revealing how life-changing therapy can be.

This book is a must-read for trainee and practising (psychodynamic or integrative) therapists who want an overview of new thinking and practice or might benefit from greater insight into psychodynamic practice, applying Freud’s theoretical world to improving the lives of real people today.

‘It is good to see Alistair, a valued student of mine and now an equally valued colleague, taking up the torch for psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy for a new generation. He has written a book that collates much of the valuable writing to date and at the same time adds new dimensions that should not be overlooked.’Michael Jacobs, Visiting Professor, University of Leeds and Bournemouth University, UK

Unlike much material available at the time, The Social Subjects Within the Curriculum (originally published in 1995) stands back from the issues of implementing the National Curriculum. Instead, it poses key questions about the ability of such a centralised system to provide an integrated social and economic education for future citizens.

Taking the cross-curricular themes as identified in the NCC curriculum guidance as starting points, the various contributors analyse and criticise the approaches suggested, and in some cases, suggest alternatives or additions. Some of the questions posed are: What is this new curriculum attempting to achieve in the social education of 5–13-year-olds? How does it compare with previous programmes? How does it relate to the economic and social developments in which young people live? This book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers of education.

Unlike much material available at the time, The Social Subjects Within the Curriculum (originally published in 1995) stands back from the issues of implementing the National Curriculum. Instead, it poses key questions about the ability of such a centralised system to provide an integrated social and economic education for future citizens.

Taking the cross-curricular themes as identified in the NCC curriculum guidance as starting points, the various contributors analyse and criticise the approaches suggested, and in some cases, suggest alternatives or additions. Some of the questions posed are: What is this new curriculum attempting to achieve in the social education of 5–13-year-olds? How does it compare with previous programmes? How does it relate to the economic and social developments in which young people live? This book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers of education.

Research Ethics for Counsellors, Nurses & Social Workers is designed to help you make the best start in your research career. With ethical implications and considerations arising at each stage of the research process, engaging with the wide range of issues and ideas can often prove a challenge. Dee Danchev and Alastair Ross will help you overcome this challenge and become confident, skilled researchers by providing you with:

-An in-depth explanation of the theoretical base for a range of ethical demands and approaches, equipping you with the tools to make the right decisions for your project.

-Key research ethics findings so students can apply the latest thinking to your research practice.

-Short case examples and checklists to help you apply theory to practice and reflect on what you have learned.

-Further reading and important resources to support your continued learning.

Whether you are an experienced researcher or coming to research for the first time, this highly practical, step by step guide, is a must for your bookshelf.

Dee Danchev is a counselling psychologist and Pastoral Advisor at Nuffield College, Oxford.

Alistair Ross is Director of Psychodynamic Studies and Dean of Kellogg College, Oxford.

Research Ethics for Counsellors, Nurses & Social Workers is designed to help you make the best start in your research career. With ethical implications and considerations arising at each stage of the research process, engaging with the wide range of issues and ideas can often prove a challenge. Dee Danchev and Alastair Ross will help you overcome this challenge and become confident, skilled researchers by providing you with:

-An in-depth explanation of the theoretical base for a range of ethical demands and approaches, equipping you with the tools to make the right decisions for your project.

-Key research ethics findings so students can apply the latest thinking to your research practice.

-Short case examples and checklists to help you apply theory to practice and reflect on what you have learned.

-Further reading and important resources to support your continued learning.

Whether you are an experienced researcher or coming to research for the first time, this highly practical, step by step guide, is a must for your bookshelf.

Dee Danchev is a counselling psychologist and Pastoral Advisor at Nuffield College, Oxford.

Alistair Ross is Director of Psychodynamic Studies and Dean of Kellogg College, Oxford.

This book presents a series of analyses of educational policies – largely in the UK, but some also in Europe – researched by a team of social scientists who share a commitment to social justice and equity in education. We explore what social justice means, in educational policy and practice, and how it impacts on our understanding of both ‘educational science’ and ‘the public good’. 

Using a social constructivist approach, the book argues that social justice requires a particular and critical analysis of the meaning of meritocracy, and of the way this term turns educational policies towards treating learning as a competition, in which many young people are constructed as ‘losers’.  We discuss how many terms in education are essentialised and have specific, and different, meanings for particular social groups, and how this may create issues in both quantitative survey methods and in determining what is ‘the public good’.

We discuss social justice across arange of intersecting social characteristics, including social class, ethnicity and gender, as they are applied across the educational policy spectrum, from early years to postgraduate education. We examine the ways that young people construct their identities, and the implications of this for understanding the ‘public good’ in educational practice. We consider the responsibilities of educational researchers to acknowledge these issues, and offer examples of researching with such a commitment. We conclude by considering how  educational policy might contribute to a socially just, equitable and inclusive public good.