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May 28 2021, 0:00am - May 28, 0:00am

The Devil You Know

Online Webinar
£56.00

“The reason for evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories”

– Carl Jung, Freud Letters, Vol. 2

How do we understand and work with evil? Dr Gwen Adshead has spent thirty years providing therapy inside secure hospitals and prisons. Whatever her patient / client’s crime, from serial homicide to stalking, arson to child-abuse, her aim is to help them to better know – and change – their minds. Now in a pathbreaking new book titled ‘The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion’ – Dr Adshead takes us through real life cases, into the room with people we would normally flinch from as ‘monsters’ – discussing whether there were any slivers of hope and possibilities of recovery.

Speaking for the first time about the book, Dr Adshead will be in conversation with Dr Jan McGregor Hepburn at this intellectually stimulating and unique webinar – where she asks the questions:

- How do we react when we come face to face with psychopathy or ‘evil’ in our therapeutic interactions?

- How do psychotherapeutic conversations help men and women explore aspects of themselves that are frightening or difficult to think about?

- Why is it especially challenging to engage people who find it hard to talk about themselves, their lives and their actions?

- Is it possible and indeed desirable for us to maintain compassion in the face of cruelty?

- Can the usual boundaries apply when we are faced with ‘evil’ – how do we look after ourselves as well as clients / patients?

- As a society, have we become less tolerant of crime over the years? What impact does this have on how we approach therapy?

Last updated: 09 June 2023