On Being a Therapist

by Jeffrey A. Kottler

Overview

For more than thirty years, On Being a Therapist has inspired generations of mental health professionals (and their clients) to explore the most private, confusing, and sacred aspects of helping others. In this thoroughly revised and updated sixth edition, Jeffrey Kottler explores many of the challenges that therapists face in their practices today, including pressures from increased technology, economic realities, and advances in theory and technique. He also examines the stress factors that are brought on from managed care bureaucracy, conflicts at work, and clients' own anxiety and depression. This new edition includes updated sources, new material on technology, new challenges that therapists face as a result of the global pandemic, and an emphasis on teletherapy and navigating ethics and practice logistics remotely. Generations of students and practitioners in counseling, psychology, social work, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, and human services have found comfort, support, and renewed confidence in On Being a Therapist, and this sixth edition builds upon this solid foundation as it continues to educate, inform, and inspire helping professionals everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197604458
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Edition description:	6th ed.
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	238,049
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 5.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Jeffrey A. Kottler, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, and Scholar in Residence at The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services in Houston, Texas where he works on issues related to refugee resettlement. He is the author of over 100 books in the fields of counseling, psychology, social justice, and related fields.

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Table of Contents

Preface to the Sixth Edition vii

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Author xix

1 The Therapist's Journey 1

2 Struggles for Power and Influence 21

3 Personal and Professional Lives 39

4 On Being a Therapeutic Storyteller-And Listener 64

5 How Clients Change Their Therapists 82

6 Hardships of Therapeutic Practice 98

7 Being Imperfect, Living With Failure 125

8 Patients Who Test Our Patience 145

9 Boredom and Burnout 167

10 That Which Is Not Said: Myths and Secrets 195

11 Lies We Tell Ourselves-And Others 209

12 Self-Care Prospects and Realities: Becoming Models for Our Clients 227

13 Alternative Therapeutic Delivery Systems 250

14 Toward Creativity and Personal Growth 274

15 On Being a Client: How to Get the Most From Therapy 298

Discussion Questions 329

References and Sources 331

Index 347

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is one of those rare and exciting books that reaches deep into the heart of a profession and discloses not only its day-to-day workings but also the very personal satisfaction, problems, doubts, and joys its practitioners experience."
— Booklist

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book discusses the role of a therapist and how to help patients meet their goals. It explores ethical issues, countertransference, therapeutic techniques, personal versus professional life, along with therapy in the technological age. This is the sixth edition, last published in 2017.
Purpose: According to the book, it "explores many of the challenges that therapists face in their practices today, including pressures from increased technology, economic realities, and advances in theory and technique. [The author] examines the stress factors that are brought on from managed care bureaucracy, conflicts at work, and clients' own anxiety and depression." Those are very worthy objectives. The book meets the stated objectives.
Audience: According to the book, "generations of students and practitioners in counseling, psychology, social work, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, and human services have found comfort, support, and renewed confidence in [this book], and this sixth edition only builds upon this solid foundation as it continues to educate, inform, and inspire helping professionals everywhere." The book meets the needs of its intended audience. The author is a credible authority on the subject matter of the book with experience as an educator and clinician for over 40 years, having written over 100 books. He has taught around the world and is a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton.
Features: The book discusses how being a therapist can be both fulfilling and challenging. Therapists are in a position of power, though outcome studies reveal that this characteristic can be attributable to clients' characteristics. Therapists can inspire clients with stories of hope, though it is important that personal issues do not interfere in the professional realm. The author mentions that being a therapist deepened his relationships with family and friends. However, there are time pressures, difficulty working in isolation, compassion fatigue of holding client secrets, and financial problems on occasion. Self-care should be a high priority, but it demands honesty and admitting that we need attention as well. Therapists must address boredom and burnout in order to be helpful to clients. Therapists who are creative during sessions can be very effective. It is not easy to know whether therapy is effective, but knowledge leading to positive behavioral change is a good sign. The book is very readable and there are no obvious shortcomings.
Assessment: This book is excellent. The author gives salient examples from his many years of experience, discussing both personal and professional issues. Novice and experienced therapists will benefit greatly from this material. The sixth edition justifies replacing the fifth because there has been new content added, especially involving technology.

Doody's Review Service

Kottler's candid account of the profound ways in which therapists are influenced by their interactions with clients, originally published in 1986, has been revised and updated to add recent anecdotal and empirical research on the subject. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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