One of the most exciting medical developments during the past thirty years has been the rebirth of family medicine as a dynamic specialty. In the face of ever-widening definitions of health, the family physician has been challenged to integrate the physical, emotional, and social concepts of modern medicine into traditional medical services. Invariably, in establishing a mutual understanding between doctor and patient, the doctor's emotions come into play.This book addresses the needs of family and other physicians to better understand their emotions, enhance their self-awareness, improve their communications skills, and apply these skills more effectively within the constraints of clinical practice and teaching. A multi-disciplinary approach common to the practice of family medicine is used. The authors come from a variety of disciplines--psychiatry, clinical psychology, family medicine, and family therapy.

This book addresses the needs of family and other physicians to better understand their emotions, enhance their self-awareness, improve their communications skills, and apply these skills more effectively within the constraints of clinical practice and teaching.

Foreword by Robert E. RakelIntroduction by Max R. PolliackThe Need for This BookThe Birth of the Interdisciplinary TeamThe Medical Context and a Review of the Relevant LiteratureThe Setting of Family MedicineProfessional Listening: Cultivating the Willingness to ListenAnxiety and the Family DoctorFeelings of Helplessness in the Doctor-Patient EncounterRejectionOn the Aggression of DoctorsBeing Offended in Medical PracticeThe Pleasure of Being a Family DoctorIntimacy and Demarcation Lines: Negotiation of DistanceSetting Boundaries in the Doctor-Patient RelationshipComplexity of the Loyalty Issue in Family MedicinePatienthood and PhysicianhoodContextual ThinkingThe Supervision of Communication Growth in Family Medicine TrainingBalint GroupsEmotive Process Stimulation (EPS): A Sensitizing Approach for Eliciting Doctors' EmotionsPsychotherapeutic InterventionsBibliographyIndex