Chessick, Richard D. 1931–

PERSONAL: Born June 2, 1931, in Chicago, IL; son of Isaac and Catherine Chessick; married September 3, 1953; wife's name Marcia; children: three. Education: University of Chicago, B.S., 1950, M.D., 1954; California Coast University, Ph.D., 1977.

ADDRESSES: Office—Northwestern University, 9400 Drake Ave., Evanston, IL 60203-1106. E-mail—rchessick@northwestern.edu.

CAREER: Educator, psychoanalyst, and author. In private practice of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Evanston, IL, 1955–; Evanston Hospital, Evanston, IL, senior attending psychiatrist, 1975–; Northwestern University, Evanston, professor of psychiatry, 1960–. Military service: U.S. Public Health Service, surgeon, 1958–60.

MEMBER: American Psychiatric Association (life fellow), American Orthopsychiatric Association (life fellow), American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians (secretary, 1993–95, president, 1996–97), American Academy of Psychoanalysis (fellow and trustee, 1989–).

AWARDS, HONORS: Sigmund Freud Award, American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians, 1989.

WRITINGS:

How Psychotherapy Heals: The Process of Intensive Psychotherapy, Science House (New York, NY), 1969.

Why Psychotherapists Fail, Science House (New York, NY), 1971.

The Technique and Practice of Intensive Psychotherapy, J. Aronson (New York, NY), 1974.

Great Ideas in Psychotherapy, J. Aronson (New York, NY), 1977.

Intensive Psychotherapy of the Borderline Patient, J. Aronson (New York, NY), 1977.

Freud Teaches Psychotherapy, Hackett (Indianapolis, IN), 1980.

A Brief Introduction to the Genius of Nietzsche, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1983.

Psychology of the Self and the Treatment of Narcissism, Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1985.

The Technique and Practice of Listening in Intensive Psychotherapy, Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1989.

What Constitutes the Patient in Psychotherapy: Alternative Approaches to Understanding Humans, Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1992.

A Dictionary for Psychotherapists: Dynamic Concepts in Psychotherapy, Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1993.

Dialogue concerning Contemporary Psychodynamic Therapy, Aronson (Northvale, NJ), 1996.

Emotional Illness and Creativity: A Psychoanalytic and Phenomenologic Study, International Universities Press (Madison, CT), 1999.

Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, Free Association Books (London, England), 2000.

Contributor to numerous professional journals. Editor of Bulletin of the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians, 1993–97. Member of editorial board, American Journal of Psychotherapy and Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis.

SIDELIGHTS: Psychiatrist Richard D. Chessick has spent his career practicing, teaching, and writing about psychotherapy and its many aspects. In addition to his medical degree, Chessick holds a doctorate in philosophy, widening his scope of knowledge and study to include philosophical as well as psychological concepts. Since the 1950s, he has run a private practice for psychotherapy, and since the 1970s he has also served as a psychiatrist at Evanston Hospital. In addition, Chessick teaches psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University. He is the author of more than fifteen books on psychotherapy and has contributed more than two hundred papers to professional journals on psychiatry, philosophy, and psychoanalysis.

In 2000 Chessick published Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, a collection of sixteen of his papers written over several decades. The work represents a variety of cases focusing on the psychological and psychodynamic foundation of psychiatry, and Chessick musters extensive data, clinical examples, and even personal vignettes to support his contentions.

Overall, reviewers lauded Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, many critics acknowledging Chessick's talent for writing as well as his command of the subject. "Chessick's prose is clear, his energy as a writer formidable," wrote Lawrence Hartmann in a review for the American Journal of Psychiatry. Others found the book to be a useful tool for many different professional groups. "I highly recommend this book to all psychoanalytic clinicians. It is also an excellent source of material for training-program seminars and ongoing study groups," observed American Journal of Psychotherapy contributor Ronald Turco.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Journal of Psychiatry, October, 2001, Lawrence Hartmann, review of Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, p. 1749.

American Journal of Psychoanalysis, September, 2001, Ronald Turco, review of Emotional Illness and Creativity: A Psychoanalytic and Phenomenologic Study, p. 316.

American Journal of Psychotherapy, Volume 55, number 1, Ronald Turco, review of Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, p. 141.