Of Medicine and Men: Biographies and Ideas in European Social Hygiene between the World Wars Book

An important book that examines the idea that the relationship between client and therapist is fundamental for good therapy to take place. Through the course of the book there are some interesting case studies between male therapist and male client, both cases were quite extreme and therefore the ways that the relationship was built reflected this in terms of the language used and the way the therapist shared themselves. I found myself longing for other examples of more ordinary therapy encounters that most therapists are likely to encounter and definitely would have welcomed a more nuanced exploration of working with difference, be that gender or ethnicity. At times I felt that Mearns is a little quick to blow his own trumpet, which I found distracting. The last chapter says its about a revolution but again I was wanting more diversity.
In summary I didn't love it the way that some people appear to, I did enjoy some of the chapters and the way it explores and encourages a deeper understanding of the therapeutic process and how therapists can be with their clients.