Therapists inevitably feel more gratified in their work when their cases have better treatment outcomes. This book is designed to help them achieve that by providing practical solutions to problems that arise in psychotherapy, such as: Do depressed people need an antidepressant, or psychotherapy alone? How do you handle people who want to be your “friend,” who touch you, who won’t leave your office, or who break boundaries? How do you prevent people from quitting treatment prematurely? Suppose you don’t like the person who consults you? What if people you treat with CBT don’t do their homework? When do you explain defense mechanisms, and when do you use supportive approaches? Award-winning professor, Jerome Blackman, answers these and many other tricky problems for psychotherapists. Dr. Blackman punctuates his lively text with tips and snippets of various theories that apply to psychotherapy. He shares his advice and illustrates his successes and failures in diagnosis, treatment, and supervision. He highlights fundamental, fascinating, and perplexing problems he has encountered over decades of practicing and supervising therapy.

The must-have guide to honestly and sensitively answering your clients' questions Written to help therapists view their clients' questions as collaborative elements of clinical work, What Do I Say? explores the questions some direct, others unspoken that all therapists, at one time or another, will encounter from clients. Authors and practicing therapists Linda Edelstein and Charles Waehler take a thought-provoking look at how answers to clients' questions shape a therapeutic climate of expression that encourages personal discovery and growth. Strategically arranged in a question-and-answer format for ease of use, this hands-on guide is conversational in tone and filled with personal examples from experienced therapists on twenty-three hot-button topics, including religion, sex, money, and boundaries. What Do I Say? tackles actual client questions, such as: Can you help me? (Chapter 1, The Early Sessions) Sorry I am late. Can we have extra time? (Chapter 9, Boundaries) I don't believe in all this therapy crap. What do you think about that? (Chapter 3, Therapeutic Process) Why is change so hard? (Chapter 4, Expectations About Change) Will you attend my graduation/wedding/musical performance/speech/business grand opening? (Chapter 20, Out of the Office) Where are you going on vacation? (Chapter 10, Personal Questions) I gave your name to a friend . . . Will you see her? (Chapter 9, Boundaries) Should I pray about my problems? (Chapter 12, Religion and Spirituality) Are you like all those other liberals who believe gay people have equal rights? (Chapter 13, Prejudice) The power of therapy lies in the freedom it offers clients to discuss anything and everything. It's not surprising then, that clients will surprise therapists with their experiences and sometimes with the questions they ask. What Do I Say? reveals how these questions no matter how difficult or uncomfortable can be used to support the therapeutic process rather than derail the therapist client relationship.

Written in an easy-to-read Q&A format, The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book helps parents understand their child's diagnosis and develop a plan for success. Is there medication for sensory processing disorder? How can occupational therapy help? What advice can I give my child's teacher? Can you "outgrow" sensory processing disorder? How can we make social situations less of an ordeal? What are some therapeutic activities I can do with my child? It is estimated that more than 10 percent of children deal with some form of sensory processing disorder (SPD), a neurological disorder characterized by the misinterpretation of everyday sensory information, such as touch, sound, and movement. For many children, SPD can lead to academic struggles, behavioral problems, difficulties with coordination, and other issues. The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book is a reassuring, authoritative reference, providing sound advice and immediate answers to your most pressing questions about SPD, such as: What is sensory processing? Does SPD affect social skills? Can you see sensory processing difficulties in an infant? What is Sensory Integration Therapy? Is SPD a sign of autism? Are there tests for SPD? How do I get a prescription for occupational therapy? How do I teach my child to understand his sensory needs? Written in an easy-to-read question and answer format, The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book helps you fully understand SPD, conquer your fears, and seek help for your child when necessary.

A guidebook to understanding and getting the most out of therapy. This book is for clients—and for clinicians to recommend to their clients—who want to enhance the process of psychotherapy and get the most out of a therapeutic relationship. Kaiser writes in a friendly, accessible tone, and explains what exactly therapy is and how it works, including the beginning, middle, and ending stages of the therapy process. She elaborates on the dynamics of the relationship between therapist and client, including such issues as power, boundaries, trust, and termination, and describes the four common factors of change: the client, the therapeutic relationship, hope, and technique. Furthermore, she explains the basic aspects of brain development and how psychotherapy physically changes the brain. This book familiarizes potential clients with four major therapeutic approaches—psychodynamic, developmental, cognitive– behavioral, and humanistic—and explains the characteristics of individual, family, and group therapy. Through case studies, Kaiser reveals the healing potential of the therapeutic relationship, including the experience of being deeply understood by and coming to trust a therapist. Kaiser offers much food for thought, as well as compassion, wisdom, encouragement, and practical suggestions for those who choose to take this fascinating and fruitful journey.

Learn to get the most out of therapy to unlock your best self. Learn to get the most out of therapy to unlock your best self. Millions of Americans will go to therapy this year, but veteran psychotherapist Gary Trosclair believes the vast majority of them will start the process with little to no sense of how to best use their sessions to achieve their goals. Recent research has identified effective client participation as one of the most crucial factors in successful therapy. What can one do to get the most out of their sessions to create lasting positive changes in their lives? What does it look like to “work on it” in therapy? Trosclair covers these points and more, combining cutting-edge scientific research with years of fascinating anecdotal evidence to create a guide that is as compelling as it is indispensable. It teaches readers how to take off their masks and be real with their therapists, how to deal with emotions that arise in session, how to continue their psychological work outside of sessions, how to know when it’s time to say goodbye to their therapists, and much more. Whether you’re already in therapy and looking to make more out of each appointment, or you’re thinking of starting the process and want to go in with a game plan, I’m Working on It in Therapy will show you how you can make every session count towards becoming your best possible self.

Each day a new law or regulation affects the way respiratory therapists perform their jobs. This basic legal guide contains the extensive information respiratory therapists need to know about the court system, lawyers, law, and litigation. Written by the author, a lawyer and therapist with 13 years of clinical experience ranging from floor therapy to administrative and management functions, this book combines the author's knowledge of the complex interactions in the legal system and how the legal system relates to therapy delivered at the bedside. A resource for students and professionals, the book presents 16 areas of the law, including medical negligence, hospital law and employment law. The text also contains a series of questions and answers about the subject areas of the law, and provides extensive guidance for therapists navigating the treacherous currents of ever changing laws. This is a book for anyone who treats respiratory therapy patients or manages therapists. Most legal texts are written either by non-lawyers or non-therapists. Non-lawyers do not understand the complex interactions in the legal system, and are not permitted to give advice. Non-therapists may understand the law very well, but be unable to relate to how therapy is delivered at the bedside. This book is written by a therapist who is a lawyer, and who has been at the bedside. With thirteen years of clinical experience ranging from floor-therapy to administration and management functions, the author understands how a hospital works. The result is a book that is useful both as a course-book and as a reference

The most well-known and highly respected psychotherapist of our time responds to reader questions submitted to the Ask Dr. Ellis website. The answers present the most concise, reader-friendly description yet of the author's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) method. Fifty years of psychotherapy experience and wisdom are distilled in this practical guide for the rest of us. Healthy thinking, healthy emotions, and healthy behavior are explained, with detailed examples and procedures for building lasting emotional well-being."

Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques provides a concise and jargon-free guide to the thinking and practice of this exciting approach, which enables people to make changes in their lives quickly and effectively. It covers: The history and background to solution focused practice The philosophical underpinnings of the approach Techniques and practices Specific applications to work with children and adolescents, (including school-based work) families, and adults How to deal with difficult situations Organisational applications including supervision, coaching and leadership. Frequently asked questions This book is an invaluable resource for all therapists and counsellors, whether in training or practice. It will also be essential for any professional whose job it is to help people make changes in their lives, and will therefore be of interest to social workers, probation officers, psychiatric staff, doctors, and teachers, as well as those working in organisations as coaches and managers.

Dr. Jerome Blackman, author of 101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself, has once again crafted an extraordinarily user-friendly book that demonstrates to all readers, from trainees to advanced analysts, the process of diagnosing mental disturbance. Get the Diagnosis Right provides a systematic method for accurately determining whether a person suffering with mental problems needs medication, supportive/cognitive, dynamic, and/or psychoanalytic treatment. Amalgamating the most useful ideas from general psychiatry, cognitive psychology, and modern psychoanalytic theory, Dr. Blackman guides readers who prescribe treatment for mental disturbances. The book also serves as a check for those who are considering what type of mental health professional they should be consulting. After reading this book, you will no longer have to guess whether a depressed patient should obtain medication, supportive therapy, insight therapy, or some mixture of the three; or question how to conduct an initial interview and assessment. Written in language that is clear but not simplistic, this book goes far beyond other diagnostic manuals.

In the best therapeutic tradition, Louis Breger describes contemporary theories and research in the field of analytic psychotherapy. Through the framework of his personal experiences as a scholar, researcher, and therapist, he focuses on his relationships with patients over the span of his fifty-year career. He records their reactions, in their own words, to their experience with psychotherapy many years after its conclusion. The author surveyed over thirty former patients to see if their progress, begun in therapy, had continued, expanded, or regressed. They were asked to highlight what they remembered as being most helpful, therapeutic, or curative in their treatment. The book is a unique long-term follow-up demonstrating the effectiveness of modern analytic psychotherapy. Breger primarily deals with the connections between therapist and patient. This is a professional memoir of the life of the psychotherapist dealing with trials as a young practitioner, lessons learned, and personal reflections on the choices, including mistakes, made along the way. Young therapists, and those who are in or considering psychotherapy, will find it helpful to have access to this self-reflective approach. Extracts from the patients are extensive and informative, giving the reader the opportunity to see therapy from their perspectives. The book also centers on the development of the therapist over his career span. Breger acknowledges that his understanding of patient care has improved over time in the eyes of his patients. In a larger sense, the book contains lessons for all psychotherapists. This is an important, unique, and innovative work. *Click here for an interview with the author. *Click here for an interview with the author on KQED's Forum with Michael Krasny