Books by Michael Jacobs

Michael Jacobs is a pioneer in the development of psychodynamic counselling. While his writing is praised for its lucidity in explaining difficult concepts, and it is well illustrated with case examples from his own work, he has rarely said much about his own history as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and counsellor. In this personal account, concerned mainly with both his professional life as a therapist, writer and teacher and with the developments of counselling generally in Britain, in which he has played a major part, Jacobs presents his own past. It is one that surprisingly for so experienced a therapist, started with no formal training, but which has gone on to be an influence on the training of hundreds of counsellors and therapists. Jacobs traces the development of BACP and UKCP and his part in the formation of both organizations, the development of training in counselling in Britain, much of which with regard to psychodynamic counselling was pioneered by him, and finally his writing and teaching career. The book concludes with a critique of the present state of counselling and psychotherapy in Britain today.“A delight to read! Everyone benefits from a lovely memoir like this: students, experienced colleagues, and the author himself. Michael has built a deserved reputation as an outstanding authority and innovator in the counselling field, in practice as well as in training. His restlessness and his challenging nature are still needed as the sense of crisis in depth and relational therapy work intensifies. The account of his experiences, whether entirely fortuitous and haphazard or fuelled by an individuating sense of vocation, will stimulate thought, feeling and a profound questioning of where our field is heading.”Professor Andrew Samuels, Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, UK“This is the moving and revelatory account of the personal and professional evolution of one of Britain’s most prominent pioneering counsellors.  In telling his own story, Michael Jacobs also illuminates the development of the counselling movement during the past fifty years and younger readers will discover much to inform and surprise them. This deceptively passionate book inspires and challenges on almost every beautifully written page.”Brian Thorne, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK; Co-founder, The Norwich Centre for Personal, Professional and Spiritual Development“Michael Jacobs’s new memoir kept me wide-awake for most of the night, because I simply could not put this book down!  Written with consummate story-telling skills, Jacobs has created an inspiring and enthralling portrait of his remarkable career in the fields of psychotherapy and counselling.  A true pioneer of mental health in Great Britain, Jacobs has much to teach us all, and I recommend this new volume most heartily!”Professor Brett Kahr, Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health, London, UK 

This book provides a concise, accessible, practical, step-by-step guide to the process of psychodynamic counselling from beginning to middle to end.

A fascinating journey through a single painting's history, meanings and associations by ';one of the great non-fiction writers of this and the last century' (Simon Schama, Financial Times).Acclaimed travel author and art historian Michael Jacobs was haunted by Velzquez's enigmatic masterpieceLas Meninasfrom first encountering it in the Prado as a teenager. InEverything is HappeningJacobs searches for the ultimate significance of the painting by following the many associations suggested by each of its characters, as well as his own relationship to the work.From Jacobs' first trip to Spain to the politics of Golden Age Madrid, to his meeting with the man who savedLas Meninasduring the Spanish Civil war, to his experiences in the sunless world of the art history academy, Jacobs delivers a brilliantly discursive meditation on art and life that dissolves the barriers between the past and the present, the real and the illusory. Cut short by Jacobs' death in 2014, and completed with an introduction and coda by his friend and fellow art lover, the journalist Ed Vulliamy, this visionary and often very funny book is a passionate, personal manifesto for the liberation of how we look at painting.

Provence is a land apart, a territory of outstanding beauty and distinction that has fascinated outsiders since earliest times. This title features photographs and accounts of the most beautiful villages of Provence such as Vaucluse and the Bouches-du-Rhone and more.

Discusses eight of Shakespeare's plays and the relationships between the main characters with them. This book is written for the thinking lay reader, and does not blind the ordinary reader with psychoanalytic terminology and concepts.

Intended primarily as a source of help for counsellors and therapists, who wish to enhance their capacity to offer help to those affected by problematic drug use, this work is written in a question and answer style. It also answers typical questions about alcohol and drug by a series of experts in the field.

An essential feature of counselling is the ability to listen and respond well to the information being given in an interview. In this book, the author shows how this ability may take away the need for leading and advising, creating a counselling encounter that is constructive and helpful.

All forms of psychotherapy deal with the limitations of our awareness. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the ways in which these discourses employ a rich variety of concepts to address the limits of our everyday consciousness.

Examines the questions of the environment, sustainable development and politics of the future

In refreshing contrast to most other books on Sigmund Freud, this is a highly accessible account of his life and ideas, which focuses on the relevance of Freud's work for contemporary approaches to counselling and psychotherapy.

Presents the life, contributions and influence of Donald Winnicott, child psychologist, psychoanalyst and paediatrician. The practical applications to counselling and psychotherapy of Winnicott's detailed theory of psychological development are explained in detail.