Dr Alistair Ross is a University of Oxford academic whose previous work has been described by Ruby Wax as 'very, very smart'. This new introductory book strikes an easy balance between theory and practice. It takes the reader from the field's Freudian roots to its contemporary applications, skills and insights. Over the last 30 years, important new theoretical ideas, skills and clinical practices have emerged in counselling and psychotherapy. While key Freudian concepts like transference, counter-transference and the influence of the past on the present remain vital to psychodynamic work, research drawn from infant development, neuroscience, the role of the sacred, and intersubjective approaches to relationships has changed the way therapists understand and work with clients. Either in its own right or as part of an integrative approach, psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy have an important role to play in developments to come. The book's features include: . A re-discovery of the importance and relevance of Freud for present-day therapeutic relationships. . An encounter with the breadth and depth of our understanding about, and experience of, the unconscious. . An introduction to research that has evolved after Freud, revealing new ways of applying his ideas. . A contemporary perspective on traditional counselling and psychotherapy skills, illustrated by vignettes and personal insights from