This book is intended to finally break the “code of silence” about female homosexuality in Italy. Past studies on the subject always tended to give lesbianism a lesser role, almost invisible, in the general spectrum of homosexuality.
Without holding back or exaggerating, the main characters in this book are women who love women. These women are the little girls who once asked for toy guns and toy soldiers for Christmas, or those who asked for doll babies, but who felt attracted to other women. The story describes the lifestyle of the “other” sexuality: female homosexuality. Either you shout it or you cover it with silence.
Knowledge of this reality is the road to understanding and tolerance. The book will reach its goals if it opens up this special world and gives readers “food for thought”. This books should be read with a positive attitude and a willingness to understand, without prejudices or taboos. It can be the key to unlocking this “invisible world”. This book should be read with the heart, not the mind.

Therapy with homosexual clients: something no one taught us how to manage, but that involves us with unexpected intensity and frequency. Homosexuality was considered a serious psychiatric pathology until about thirty years ago. In the past, homosexuals were often treated with methods that were cruel and destructive. Today, we have new models of affirmation therapy for homosexuality. Healthcare specialists must support their gay and lesbian clients in their efforts to come out of hiding. The therapist must talk with them and help them “come out”. These clients need help with the difficult process of accepting their homosexual identity. How can the psychotherapist face the difficulties their clients have with self-acceptance and being accepted by others? And the problems associated with the family and their refusal to accept this reality? Also, the uncertainties in the couple, as well as conflicts with religion, and the hostility of a society that is basically homophobic and prejudiced against same-sex relationships. What kind of reaction can a psychotherapist expect to have when he encounters a homosexual client? It often happens that a therapist discovers that he himself is embarrassed and hostile towards the client. Therefore he may find himself caught up in a difficult situation in which he discovers his own unresolved homophobic feelings. So we have therapy with the homosexual client, instead of therapy of the homosexual client. A wide gap has been bridged.

“This is another classic book in the Beck tradition: academic and classic, a superb and indispensable therapy guide. It covers new ground, once again, in this particularly interesting field. Beck, Freeman and their associates have produced an exceptionally useful manual, not only for those who follow the traditional thought about cognitive-behavioral therapy, but also for those therapists who want to improve their understanding and methodology in treating personality disorders. This volume by Beck and Freeman is a milestone in the progress of learning to understand and treat this vast range of disorders.” Theodore Millon, Ph.D., University of Miami and Harvard Medical School.

“Judith Beck has written an exceptional text which is useful both for therapists who wish to learn the concepts and procedures in cognitive therapy, and also for those therapists who are teaching and supervising clinical methods. All too often, the term “cognitive therapy” is applied to any effort to help people build a more productive world for themselves. But, in reality, it is something more subtle and complex than simply telling a person to think in a certain way. This book, clearly written and instructive, helps us to understand cognitive therapy and shows us how to use it in a clearer and simpler way. I plan to assign it as a textbook for my students!” Gerald C. Davison