This book provides an indispensable, up-to-date and accessible account of psychoanalysis today. Shaped by considering the viewpoint of an interested twenty-first century reader, it is of great interest to psychoanalysts and related mental health professionals, as well as students and all those interested in the treatment of mental health.

Anthony W. Bateman is a psychoanalyst whose work on applying psychoanalytic ideas in health service settings led to the development of mentalisation-based treatment for severe personality disorder. He is recognised internationally for his writing and research work and has published widely on mentalisation, borderline personality disorder, and the application of psychotherapy in psychiatry.

Jeremy Holmes is a retired psychiatrist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He has published 250+ papers and chapters, and has authored or co-authored 21 books in the fields of attachment theory and psychoanalysis. His most recent books are Attachment in Therapeutic Practice (2017) and The Brain Has a Mind of its Own (2020).

Elizabeth Allison is the Director of the Psychoanalysis Unit at University College London. She is a psychoanalyst and member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Routledge's New Library of Psychoanalysis, an associate member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, and a co-editor of the Developments in Psychoanalysis book series.

Part I: Theory 01. Introduction: History and Controversy 02. Models of the Mind 03. Origins of the Internal World 04. Mechanisms of Defence 05. Transference and Countertransference 06. Dreams, Symbols, and the Psychoanalytic Imagination Part II: Practice 07. The Assessment Interview 08. The Therapeutic Relationship 09. Clinical Dilemmas 10. Psychoanalysis and Mental Health Practice 11. Research in Psychoanalysis 12. The future of psychoanalysis: Challenges and Opportunities