We All Need Therapy is a collection of poetry of a boy who encountered the world, and in turn some painful cracks appeared in his vessel. He soon learned that when you do not hide your imperfections, a cracked vessel is the one, which lets the light shine through.

For those currently in therapy, seeking therapy, considering returning to therapy, or supporting a loved one through it, this is the definitive companion to the therapeutic experience. During her 15 years as a therapist, Karin Blak has found that people often seek help only moments from breaking point. This damaging behaviour can come from a lack of understanding as to what therapy is, or how it works. Even when motivated to seek help, there are psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists... We have so many different talking therapists that confusion is understandable. This book is a definitive guide to understanding talking therapies. It will clarify every question, misnomer, myth or grey area in therapy. Compassionately guiding the reader through their journey from starting to consider therapy, to finding the right therapist, preparing for the first session, surviving through common challenges, knowing when to end therapy, and when to return, Karin Blak reveals previously untold intricacies of how therapists work, how therapists themselves are supervised, how to know if your therapist is overstepping boundaries, what the lingo really means, how to manage your own expectations, and when to move on from therapy. Each section contains honest commentary about the process of therapy, case studies showing examples applicable to real life, encouragements to act, practical suggestions and actions to apply if needed.

"From a New York Timesbest-selling writer, psychotherapist, and advice columnist, a brilliant and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world--where her patients are in crisis (and so is she)"--

Lessons from the personal experience and reflections of a therapist. The difficulty and cost of training psychotherapists properly is well known. It is far easier to provide a series of classes while ignoring the more challenging personal components of training. Despite the fact that the therapist's self-insight, emotional maturity, and calm centeredness are critical for successful psychotherapy, rote knowledge and technical skills are the focus of most training programs. As a result, the therapist's personal growth is either marginalized or ignored. The Making of a Therapist counters this trend by offering graduate students and beginning therapists a personal account of this important inner journey. Cozolino provides a unique look inside the mind and heart of an experienced therapist. Readers will find an exciting and privileged window into the experience of the therapist who, like themselves, is just starting out. In addition, The Making of a Therapist contains the practical advice, common-sense wisdom, and self-disclosure that practicing professionals have found to be the most helpful during their own training.The first part of the book, 'Getting Through Your First Sessions,' takes readers through the often-perilous days and weeks of conducting initial sessions with real clients. Cozolino addresses such basic concerns as: Do I need to be completely healthy myself before I can help others? What do I do if someone comes to me with an issue or problem I can't handle? What should I do if I have trouble listening to my clients? What if a client scares me?The second section of the book, 'Getting to Know Your Clients,' delves into the routine of therapy and the subsequent stages in which you continue to work with clients and help them. In this context, Cozolino presents the notion of the 'good enough' therapist, one who can surrender to his or her own imperfections while still guiding the therapeutic relationship to a positive outcome. The final section, 'Getting to Know Yourself,' goes to the core of the therapist's relation to him- or herself, addressing such issues as: How to turn your weaknesses into strengths, and how to deal with the complicated issues of pathological caretaking, countertransference, and self-care.Both an excellent introduction to the field as well as a valuable refresher for the experienced clinician, The Making of a Therapist offers readers the tools and insight that make the journey of becoming a therapist a rich and rewarding experience.

For more than thirty years, On Being a Therapist has inspired generations of mental health professionals to explore the most private and sacred aspects of their work helping others. In this thoroughly revised and updated fifth 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 explores 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 problems that therapists face, and two new chapters: "On Being a Therapeutic Storyteller-and Listener" and "On Being a Client: How to Get the Most from Therapy." Generations of students and practitioners in counseling, clinical psychology, social work, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, and human services have found comfort and confidence in On Being a Therapist, and this Fifth Edition -- intended to be the author's last major update to the seminal work -- only builds upon this solid foundation as it continues to educate helping professionals everywhere.

An in-depth look at a much misunderstood practice, offering a fresh viewpoint on how this science can be a universally effective route to our better selves.