Therapeutic practice is becoming more explicitly 'relational' with many therapists describing themselves as being relational. But what does it actually mean? Therapy Tales draws on 13 evocative and thought-provoking clinical stories, which bring to life the relational nature of psychotherapeutic process and practice. Through these tales, Linda Finlay explores the therapeutic process in depth. She highlights how - behind apparently simple stories - therapy can be overwhelmingly intense, painful, puzzling, ambiguously inchoate, as well as nourishing. The synthesising discussions that follow each story are written specifically for therapists and trainees who are seeking to critically reflect on the experience of the therapeutic process, to build their evidence-based professional practice and to deepen their understanding of relational ethics. Throughout, the author foregrounds theoretical and practice debates around what effective relational therapy involves and how healing takes place.

The sheer fascination, depth, poignancy and power of what happens in the relational therapy space shines through each tale. The book emphasises how therapists work with complex human beings who have complex histories and that therapy processes are similarly layered. Demonstrating a wide range of approaches, readers will benefit from seeing how many concepts and practices are contested, and their applications depend on the therapist's chosen approach/modality as well as the relational-social context. Organised in two sections, the seven therapy tales in Part I foreground work with individuals' intrapsychic internal relational worlds involving embodied dialogical encounters. The six stories in Part II apply a more explicit socio-cultural lens showing how our social worlds mesh.

This book will be of interest to students, therapists and clients alike, and also for those simply curious to understand more about what happens behind psychotherapy's closed doors.