The Therapist's Workbook

by Jeffrey A. Kottler

• ISBN13: 9780787945237
• ISBN10: 0787945234
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

A Guide for Self-Reflection, Growth, and Change Forbidden feelings, secret fears, stress, burnout-these are issues that many behavioral health care professionals treat in their clients everyday. But when it's the clinician who is overwhelmed with these issues, there is often no one-and nowhere to turn to. Untreated, these issues can affect therapists' ability to treat their clients effectively and put unneeded stress on their personal relationships. Based on the best-selling book On Being a Therapist, this much-needed workbook nourishes and challenges psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other counselors, guiding them gently on a journey of self-reflection and renewal. Jeffery Kottler's well-conceived guide offers behavioral health care professionals a concrete forum to address the crucial daily and long-term issues that inevitably arise in their work. To help clinicians help themselves, Kottler has filled this hands-on guide with self-assessment exercises and activities-all designed to facilitate candid self-expression, growth, and change. Special attention is paid to potentially career threatening issues, such as sexual attraction to a client, fear of failure, loss of confidence, and the financial stress and loss of autonomy that many clinicians experience as a result of managed care and its constraints. By actively engaging in the workbook activities and keeping a weekly journal, readers will come away with renewed motivation, energy, and creativity as clinicians, as well as a valuable written record of personal growth and reflection.

Author Biography

JEFFREY A. KOTTLER is the author of over thirty books including On Being a Therapist, The Imperfect Therapist, Compassionate Therapy, The Language of Tears, Beyond Blame, and Travel that Can Save Your Life. He lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
PART I CONFRONTING THE ISSUES
Being a Therapist	3	(16)
Assessing Joys and Hardships	19	(16)
Identifying Sources of Stress	35	(12)
Impact of Personal Life on Professional Practice	47	(12)
Determining Effects on Personal Life	59	(18)
Making Sense of What You Do as a Therapist	77	(16)
PART II TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF
Dealing with Countertransference Reactions	93	(18)
Acknowledging and Overcoming Failures	111	(12)
Creating More Fun and Joy in Therapeutic Work	123	(8)
Avoiding and Countering Burnout	131	(10)
Building and Maintaining a Support System	141	(14)
Making Changes in Your Life	155	(16)
About the Author	171