Overview

It's a near-universal experience among mental health practitioners: a patient drops a bombshell-a critical disclosure that moves the treatment forward-on their way out, with a hand on the doorknob. This ""doorknob moment"" creates a stressful dilemma for clinicians, especially when the patient is distraught. Should the clinician end the session on time, or run over and be late for the next patient? Here, seasoned psychiatrist Daniela V. Gitlin provides clinicians with a clear, evidence-based answer. By conceptualizing the functional differences between patient and therapist in the treatment relationship as a metaphor for the functional differences between right and left cerebral hemispheres, Gitlin's argument yields a comprehensive explanation for why doorknob moments occur, why they are necessary to prevent treatment stagnation, and why ending on time makes patients feel safer to deliver them.

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9781324052593

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Reviews

The last minutes of a therapy session may pose such challenges as an 'exit line' or 'curtain call'; the patient delivers a parting shot that either forces an extension of the time or lingers as a message until the next appointment. Dr. Gitlin's thoughtful and scholarly book focuses on the moment when a patient, one hand often literally on the doorknob, drops a 'bombshell, ' ranging from a startling insight to a scary crisis.--Alvin Pam, PhD, clinical psychologist With warmth and humility, Daniela Gitlin's new book elucidates the importance of 'doorknob bombshells'--those highly significant, last-minute revelations familiar to clinicians of all stripes--and the rationale for respecting them by holding fast to the therapeutic frame. Deftly integrating neurobiology and attachment theory, Gitlin draws on her experiences as both a psychiatrist and a writer to show how the process of therapy parallels the creative process, and the potential for doorknob moments to promote trust and growth in the therapeutic relationship.--Karen Perlman, PhD, LP, NCPsyA Doorknob Bombshells in Therapy is an in-depth exploration of the complicated and powerful relationship between a patient and a therapist. By exploring the moment that leads to the end of a therapy session, Dr. Gitlin provides insight in the entire meaning of the therapeutic alliance that is built.--Jeffrey Stovall, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Doorknob Bombshells in Therapy is an in-depth exploration of the complicated and powerful relationship between a patient and a therapist. By exploring the moment that leads to the end of a therapy session, Dr. Gitlin provides insight in the entire meaning of the therapeutic alliance that is built.--Jeffrey Stovall, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center The last minutes of a therapy session may pose such challenges as an 'exit line' or 'curtain call'; the patient delivers a parting shot that either forces an extension of the time or lingers as a message until the next appointment. Dr. Gitlin's thoughtful and scholarly book focuses on the moment when a patient, one hand often literally on the doorknob, drops a 'bombshell, ' ranging from a startling insight to a scary crisis.--Alvin Pam, PhD, clinical psychologist With warmth and humility, Daniela Gitlin's new book elucidates the importance of 'doorknob bombshells'--those highly significant, last-minute revelations familiar to clinicians of all stripes--and the rationale for respecting them by holding fast to the therapeutic frame. Deftly integrating neurobiology and attachment theory, Gitlin draws on her experiences as both a psychiatrist and a writer to show how the process of therapy parallels the creative process, and the potential for doorknob moments to promote trust and growth in the therapeutic relationship.--Karen Perlman, PhD, LP, NCPsyA

Author Information

Daniela V. Gitlin, MD, is a psychiatrist in private practice in Plattsburgh, New York. Her first book, Practice, Practice, Practice: This Psychiatrist’s Life, was selected as a Finalist by the 2021 International Book Awards in the Health: Psychology and Mental Health category.

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