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This paper reconvenes Samuel Beckett's psychotherapy with Wilfred Bion during 1934-1936 during which time Beckett's conceived and began writing this second novel, Murphy. Based on Beckett's visits to the Bethlem & Maudsley Hospital and his observation of the male nurses, the climax of Murphy is a chess match between Mr Endon (a male schizophrenic patient) and Murphy (a male psychiatric nurse). The precise notation of the Endon v Murphy chess match tells us that the Beckett intended it to be an exemplar of an anti-match, perhaps a metaphor for the tragedy of being locked into madness. It is also argued that the match offers us insight into Beckett's experience of the process of psychotherapy with Bion. Based on new information from Beckett's nephew and Bion's widow, hypotheses about the long term impact of the Bion-Beckett analysis are advanced as a mutual experience which shaped the lives and later literary output of both men, producing conjoined career writings which continue to offer us stark and sublime condensations of depression, psychosis, and the challenges of therapy and recovery.

Topic: Recent developments in policy change in the governance of research ethics in the UK are reviewed and discussed regarding how the changes in informed consent impacts on single case study research., Conclusions: Changes in the ethics of health research (particularly in the UK) and informed patient consent have potentially negative implications for case study research where overregulated research guidance may impinge on patient treatment., Practice Implications: The psychotherapy milieu is a highly protective environment where case study research design has, historically, been effectively applied without compromising clients' interests and treatment. A distinction between "prospective" and "reflective" psychotherapy research is proposed that offers an ethical foothold, protecting patients and allowing scope for practitioners to continue to advance knowledge from their reflective practice.

Topic: The role of the nurse psychotherapist in the U.K., Purpose: To explore the barriers and future possibilities of nurse psychotherapists in the U.K., Source: A review of the literature, communication with nurse leaders in the U.K., the author's own experience., Conclusion: There is a body of nurses in the U.K. that has begun to meet regularly and uses psychodynamic theory either in clinical practice or to teach students. The plan is to develop specific standards of training and registration.

Recent studies (e.g. Klee et al, 1991) of human immunodeficiency virus prevalence among drug users indicate that the greatest increase in transmission rates has been a result of sexual contact. This article examines safer sex health education and the development of a programme of education that aims to confront negative attitudes towards condoms.

This paper examines the uptake of the HIV test in a busy London drug dependency unit and looks at some of the specialist aspects of HIV counselling with drug users. HIV pre-test counselling is an important health education opportunity. The current guidelines for HIV pre-test counselling with drug users suggest that practitioners should adopt a more encouraging attitude.