Q HEALTH Patients can affect therapists Vulnerability part of problem for psychoanalysts By Jennifer Bell The Intelligencer Therapists are vulnerable to their patients' depression. That's the premise of a book by psychoanalyst Dr. Sheldon Heath, who recently set up practice in Belleville. His book -- Dealing with the Therapist's Vulnerability to Depression -- says it's important to recognize that all therapists -- from many walks of life -- are vulnerable to their patients' depression. "They are empathically attuned to their patients, which is required...to get a feel for the patient and to really listen and understand the feelings and fantasies of what it is like to be him or her. The therapist can learn to feel depressed, temporarily, but not to be depressed by the patient." Heath's book recommends that everyone in the mental health field should see a psychoanalyst. Based on the principles of Freud (which delve into the unconscious mind) psychoanalysis "is for people who are interested in themselves and why they behave the way they do," said Heath. "Most people are fascinated by therapy, which can help them Author Dr. Sheldon gain insights into themselves." Heath -- who moved to Prince Edward County from Toronto several years ago -- graduated from the London Institute of Psycho-Analysis and was a postgraduate fellow at the Tavistock Clinic in London. He has also practiced in Montreal. His work, which he describes as a "textbook for clinical trainees in psychology, sociology, social work, and counselling," outlines what transpires in a therapist-patient relationship. "It will be of interest to just about everybody." Heath's book is available through Greenley's bookstore in Belleville.