(Fourth in a series)

Two years later the young woman Zaslow had successfully treated for schizophrenia experienced a period of anorexia. Foster saw her and was shocked by how thin she was, but she was thoughtful, responsible and certainly not schizophrenic.


Foster recalls being “shocked into silence by her appearance, but Zaslow simply chuckled lovingly and opened by saying, "You don't look so juicy, my dear.” Zaslow had come to see her in Foster’s office. Zaslow treated her using traditional sit-down sessions and according to Foster, “helped her immensely. Plus, he did home visits at meal time.”


Foster continued to recall his experiences working with Zaslow:

Probably Zaslow was the best therapist I have been around. He was controlling and obnoxious and egocentric but he was a genius. Generally when we would have sessions with these very difficult kids, he made a big difference in the kids.

He always told the kids they were either going to do things the wrong way or his way, which way was it going to be? No matter what the kid did—twitch their arm, open their mouth, close their eyes—their way was the wrong way, his way was the right way. I remember saying to him,

“Bob, how come your way is the right way and the kid’s way is always the wrong way?”

It seemed so authoritarian to Foster, even though it appeared to significantly help the kids.

“Well, Foster, if my way wasn’t more likely to be the right way than this kid’s way is of being the right way, than I’d be where the kid is and the kid would be where I am, so we’re going to play the odds!”

Foster recalls that Zaslow was extremely Freudian in his approach. Although he didn't look for or push for responses that would validate Freudian analytic thinking, it always seemed to appear anyway.


Foster feels that when doing therapy with a patient, you “get what you are looking for.” He stated it is always exciting in therapy when you get what you are not looking for at all—stuff that just comes out of the blue. Apparently that happened often in Zaslow’s sessions.