Psychic Assaults and Frightened Clinicians

About the Author

John Gordon is a Founder Member of the British Psychoanalytic Association and Senior Member of both the British Psychotherapy Foundation and the Institute of Group Analysis. Previously he was Consultant Adult Psychotherapist in a Forensic Psychotherapy Department and at the Cassel Hospital. He is Senior Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University where, in collaboration with West London Mental Health NHS Trust, he co-organises, teaches and facilitates an experiential group on an MSc in Psychodynamic Approaches in Mental Health. He is co-author with the late Stuart Whiteley of 'Group Approaches in Psychiatry' (1979), co-editor of 'Psychic Assaults: Countertransference in Forensic Settings' (2008) and co-author of 'Interpersonal Dynamics Consultation: A Manual for Clinicians' (2013). He has published many papers on the development of Bion's thinking on psychosis and its application to clinical work with individuals, groups and organisations. He currently practices privately as a psychoanalyst and supervisor. Professor Gabriel Kirtchuk is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy (Forensic) and a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He is the Head of the Forensic Psychotherapy Department at West London Mental Health NHS Trust where, in collaboration with Buckinghamshire New University, he developed and is co-leader of an MSc in Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Mental Health. He and his colleagues have developed over the years a manual which facilitates the systematic study of transference/counter-transference patterns by means of consultations with multi-disciplinary teams, particularly in in-patient forensic settings; more recently this approach has been extended to services in the community as well as generic psychiatric, child and adolescent settings. Until recently he was Lead Clinician of the National Forensic Psychotherapy Training and Development Strategy, a post he held for many years. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College Medical School and Chair of the Forensic Psychotherapy Society, a Member Institution of the BPC.