The Temporal Dimension in Counselling and Psychotherapy looks at time as an intangible phenomenon that is culturally created, historically framed, but only individually understood. Examining our relationship to time as well as what it means in terms of our mortality, it integrates historical, cultural and psychotherapeutic perspectives to shine a light on our experience of time from our current identity to past trauma, both in the consulting room and beyond.

Divided into three parts, the book explores those time-related issues that emerge in psychotherapy, it initially focuses on our existence as individuals in time, with chapters discussing how we develop a sense of self as a being-in-time, how our relationship to time is coloured by the world we live in today, and our attachment relationships and past traumas. In part two, the focus narrows to the consulting room itself; the practical aspects of the time-frame and how these can be managed. The third part of the book concerns the impact of trauma and other crises on our existence in time, as well as our experience of it.

Exploring time-related issues as people navigate different stages in the life-cycle, as well as for people affected by illness, trauma and bereavement, this insightful and thought-provoking book will provide insights for counsellors and therapists about what time means both to themselves and their clients.

"Psychotherapy has seen various ‘turns’ in how we view the process of change, but in this tour de force, psychotherapist and historian Sue Wright sets them against the backdrop of Old Father Time, the great leveller. What are the existential challenges of living in Time, and how can therapists help their clients meet and come to terms with them? We hear how the therapeutic hour provides the ‘book ends’ of a ‘relational and temporal idiom’ in which the dance between Kairos and Chronos is heightened. Using a neurobiologically informed approach – essential for working with trauma survivors – Sue illustrates how time heals, and how our experience of past events is altered, allowing new ways of experiencing the present and imagining the future. The book will be useful for students in training as well as seasoned practitioners."

Tree Staunton, UKCP Honorary Fellow, Director of Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling

Psychotherapy has seen various ‘turns’ in how we view the process of change, but in this tour de force, psychotherapist and historian Sue Wright sets them against the backdrop of Old Father Time, the great leveller. What are the existential challenges of living in Time, and how can therapists help their clients meet and come to terms with them? We hear how the therapeutic hour provides the ‘book ends’ of a ‘relational and temporal idiom’ in which the dance between Kairos and Chronos is heightened. Using a neurobiologically informed approach – essential for working with trauma survivors – Sue illustrates how time heals, and how our experience of past events is altered, allowing new ways of experiencing the present and imagining the future. The book will be useful for students in training as well as seasoned practitioners.

Tree Staunton, UKCP Honorary Fellow, Director of Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling

Sue Wright is an Integrative Psychotherapist working in private practice in the UK as a therapist, supervisor, trainer and writer with a specialization in working with the survivors of complex trauma.