Drawing on his rich experience within psychiatry, Leston Havens takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through the vast and changing landscape of psychotherapy and psychiatry today. Closely examining the dynamics of the doctor–patient exchange, he seeks to locate and describe the elusive therapeutic environment within which psychological healing most effectively takes place.

"Havens’s views on psychotherapy and the work of mental health practitioners are interesting and provocative. Sitting beside Leston Havens and letting him share thoughts with you is time well spent." - Contemporary Psychology

"With considerable insight, Leston Havens offers us a fine new glimpse into the art of psychotherapy… What every reader will get from reading A Safe Place is an unforgettable sense of a professional healer who is so empathetic that one can almost see his mind reach out to embrace another." - New York Times Book Review

"Capacious intelligence, generous spirit, and quirky grace characterize this collection of essays… Havens introduces a powerful humanity to the case study, using his experiences of [patients] to illustrate what seemed to work, what mistakes were made, and what conclusions might cautiously be drawn." - Publishers Weekly