Speaking the Unspoken: Breaking the Silence, Myths, and Taboos That Hurt Therapists and Patients

When certain topics become taboo, classroom professors, clinical supervisors, and other educators tend to skip right over them, give them only cursory attention, distract, or even actively discourage discussion if the topic is brought up. New generations of psychotherapists inherit these codes of silence and move into practice with a lack of awareness, knowledge, or skills to respond when these topics emerge in their work with clients. Therapists may then be at a loss for an empathic nonjudgmental response, fall silent, change the topic, say something unintentionally harmful, or plow on with an undermining, counterproductive intervention, which puts the therapeutic alliance at risk for rupture.

Speaking the Unspoken describes, documents, and discusses the history and current context of how silence around taboo topics affects psychotherapists and their clients. It addresses the internal and external factors that maintain the silence and provides information, strategies, and exercises to help readers explore various unspoken topics and learn to speak up in psychotherapy and beyond.