This book is essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about one of the most
influential and successful approaches to therapy. Julia McLeod Lecturer in Counselling
Abertay University UK Every edition of a long established text begs the question - what's new?
Michael and Dawn continue to honour the wisdom and relevance of prior editions with
characteristic humour and humility. This touchstone text conveys with clarity the richness of
Psychodynamic approaches. Paul King Assistant Professor Guidance Counselling and Education
School of Human Development Dublin City University Ireland A highly respected 'classic' text
which has been thoroughly revised and extended to reflect the changed and changing landscape of
therapeutic practice. Keith E Walmsley-Smith visiting Lecturer in Clinical Psychology
Staffordshire University UK A person's past is ever present from infancy to old age and it
affects the dynamics of therapy and the therapist-patient relationship. Written by a key
founding figure of psychodynamic counselling and now with contributions from pre-eminent
researcher Dawn Freshwater the bestselling The Presenting Past gives practicing therapists
and students keen insight into the subject. The theories of Freud Winnicott Klein are now
complimented by attachment theory and self-psychology and are organized into three main
categories: trust and attachment authority and autonomy and concord and challenge. In this
new edition Jacobs and Freshwater give psychodynamic counselling and therapy a truly human
face. The connections between theory and practice are highlighted through the use of compelling
case examples and end of chapter exercises. Combined with an approachable writing style this
edition is the go-to for busy professionals and trainees. Fully updated to include coverage of
the prevalence of social media debates about gender identity and sexuality the significance
of attachment theory and attachment-based practice and self-psychology and its concentration
upon the problems of narcissistic wound The Presenting Past stays wonderfully readable. The
book shows Jacobs at his best and is a testimony to his lifetime of experience. Michael Jacobs
and Dawn Freshwater provide a clear modernisation on this classic best-selling text. Michael
Jacobs is one of the pioneers of psychodynamic counselling in Britain. He developed the
counselling and psychotherapy programme at the University of Leicester UK up to his retirement
in 2000. Dawn Freshwater is adjunct Professor of Mental Health at the University of Leeds UK
and the University of Western Australia Australia.
