Shame in the Therapy Hour

Excessive shame can be associated with poor psychological adjustment, interpersonal difficulties, and overall poor life functioning. Consequently, shame is prevalent among individuals undergoing psychotherapy. Yet, there is limited guidance for clinicians trying to help their clients deal with shame-related concerns. This book explores the manifestations of shame and presents several approaches for treatment. It brings together the insights of master clinicians from different theoretical and practice orientations, such as psychodynamics, object relations, emotion-focused therapy, functional analysis, group therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy. The chapters address all aspects of shame, including how it develops, how it relates to psychological difficulties, how to recognize it, and how to help clients resolve it. Strategies for dealing with therapist shame are also provided, since therapist shame can be triggered during sessions and can complicate the therapeutic alliance. With rich, detailed case studies in almost every chapter, this book will be a practical resource for clinicians working with a broad range of populations and clinical problems.

Ronda L. Dearing received her PhD in clinical psychology from George Mason University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship specializing in alcohol research at the Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) of the University at Buffalo and funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse Alcoholism (NIAAA). Upon completion of her fellowship appointment, she continued at RIA, where she currently works as a research scientist.
 
Dr. Dearing is coauthor of Shame and Guilt (2002, with June Tangney) and Alcohol Use Disorders (2007, with Stephen Maisto and Gerard Connors). Her scientific publications have appeared in a number of professional journals, and her research has been recognized by awards from the Research Society on Alcoholism. She has received research funding from NIAAA for her work as principal investigator of a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award to study help-seeking behaviors among at-risk drinkers and as a co-investigator on a grant to study impulsivity as a mechanism of change during treatment for alcohol dependence.
 
Dr. Dearing's research interests include help-seeking for alcohol problems, treatment engagement and outcome, and issues related to shame and guilt.
 
June Price Tangney received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After teaching for 2 years at Bryn Mawr College, she joined the Psychology Department at George Mason University (GMU) in 1988, where she is currently professor of psychology. In 2007, she was honored to become University Professor at GMU.
 
A Fellow of APA's Division of Personality and Social Psychology and the American Psychological Society, Dr. Tangney is coauthor (2002, with Ronda Dearing) of Shame and Guilt, coeditor (2007, with Jess Tracy and Richard Robins) of The Self-Conscious Emotions: Theory and Research, and coeditor (2003, with Mark Leary) of the Handbook of Self and Identity. She has served as associate editor for Self and Identity and consulting editor for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology® Bulletin, Psychological Assessment, the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, and the Journal of Personality and is currently associate editor of American Psychologist®.
 
Her research on the development and implications of moral emotions has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Science Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation. Currently, her work focuses on moral emotions among incarcerated offenders.
 
A recipient of GMU's Teaching Excellence Award, Dr. Tangney strives to integrate service, teaching, and clinically relevant research in both the classroom and the lab.