The Unsayable (Annie Rogers)-- A child psychotherapist encouraged me to read Rogers's first book, A Shining Affliction, before I started graduate school. Rogers is supremely intelligent and writes in an almost lyrical fashion that is definitely not the norm for case studies! A Shining Affliction chronicles Rogers's early work in psychotherapy. In the course of treating a severely traumatized boy, Rogers's own experiences with trauma resurface and lead to a descent into psychosis and then her ultimate stabilization. In The Unsayable, Rogers delves into the theories of linguist/psychologist Jacques Lacan and combines those with case studies and interviews of her treatment with traumatized girls (especially girls who then become offenders), as well as more of her own story. Interesting book, well-written with some insights, but I wouldn't totally endorse this approach to therapy as it is likely to overwhelm young clients and lead to decompensation, as is evidenced even in the case studies in the book. There are those in the psychology/counseling world who generally believe that clients must get worse before they will get better. I am not of that school of thought. I think that defense mechanisms, now matter how dysfunctional, serve an improtant purpose, and clinicians need to be careful not to pry those away before the client has the skills to proceed. Again, I think this book is fascinating, and many of the visceral depictions of being a survivor of trauma are excellent. However, I think that applying all of the theoretical aspects of the book in a clinical setting could be dangerous. [For an absolutely fabulous book to read AND apply in clinical settings with all types of resistant or withdrawn children and adolescents, check out No Talk Therapy by Martha B. Straus. Her focus is strength-based, which is definitely more my orientation.]
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