by Derek Truscott (2010)
Most therapists in training feel anxious about practicing psychotherapy. Helping another human being overcome life’s difficulties is an exciting and daunting responsibility—making the adoption of the right therapeutic approach an essential task. Yet it can be overwhelming to choose from the scores of theories and approaches available, estimated at some 250 theories to date. This book’s unique premise is that there is no “right” theory of psychotherapy. Rather, there is a therapeutic approach that is fitting for each therapist and client. Becoming an Effective Psychotherapist presents the nine leading systems of psychotherapy, the underlying rationale and approach to treatment for each, and their seminal theorists. Each chapter showcases a specific theory’s therapeutic goals, its assumptions about the therapist–client relationship, client tasks, and the related change processes. Chapters end with thought-provoking journal exercises, learning tasks, and case examples, as well as a discussion of how each approach has evolved and is practiced today. Through exploratory reflection, this book will help you find a theory that is compatible with your own worldview and show you how to be a more effective therapist by adapting it to honor the worldview of your client. By understanding your values and those upon which the major systems of psychotherapy are based, you can choose a model for practice that you believe in to maximize your satisfaction, confidence, and effectiveness as a therapist.
David M. Schnarch
By integrating individual, sexual and marital therapies, this study attempts to provide a fresh look at the nature of intimacy and the diverse barriers to eroticism in marriage. The author refutes the common focus on sexual technique, calling instead for an emphasis on sexual potential.
Rachel Pollard
"Mikhail Bakhtin, the Russian philosopher and cultural critic, was one of the pioneers of the "linguistic turn" in philosophy and is now widely associated with the concept of the dialogical self and dialogical psychotherapy." "However, whilst dialogism is the concept for which Bakhtin is most well known in psychotherapy, it is, in isolation, open to a wide range of interpretations that can be claimed by diverse and conflicting ideological positions." "The radical contribution that a more inclusive reading of Bakhtin could bring to psychotherapy only becomes apparent when dialogism is understood in the context of Bakhtin's philosophy as a whole, and when Bakhtin, himself, is brought into a dialogical relationship with other thinkers. By bringing Bakhtin into dialogue with the controversial French anthropologist, Rene Girard, the centrality of desire in language and human social life is woven into the concept of the dialogical self and the practice of dialogical psychotherapy." "This book will be of keen interest to students interested in the contemporary relevance of Bakhtin's thinking as well as psychotherapists concerned with the complex relationship between language, consciousness and the art of psychotherapy."--Jacket.
Bruce Wilkinson with David & Heather Kopp
A modern-day parable explains how to achieve one's dreams and overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of leading the life God intended.
Robert G. Kaiser
The startling story of the monumental growth of lobbying in Washington, D.C., and how it undermines effective government and pollutes our politics.A true insider, Robert G. Kaiser has monitored American politics for The Washington Post for nearly half a century. In this sometimes shocking and always riveting book, he explains how and why, over the last four decades, Washington became a dysfunctional capital. At the heart of his story is money--money made by special interests using campaign contributions and lobbyists to influence government decisions, and money demanded by congressional candidates to pay for their increasingly expensive campaigns, which can cost a staggering sum. In 1974, the average winning campaign for the Senate cost $437,000; by 2006, that number had grown to $7.92 million. The cost of winning House campaigns grew comparably: $56,500 in 1974, $1.3 million in 2006.Politicians' need for money and the willingness, even eagerness, of special interests and lobbyists to provide it explain much of what has gone wrong in Washington. They have created a mutually beneficial, mutually reinforcing relationship between special interests and elected representatives, and they have created a new class in Washington, wealthy lobbyists whose careers often begin in public service. Kaiser shows us how behavior by public officials that was once considered corrupt or improper became commonplace, how special interests became the principal funders of elections, and how our biggest national problems--health care, global warming, and the looming crises of Medicare and Social Security, among others--have been ignored as a result.Kaiser illuminates this progression through the saga of Gerald S. J. Cassidy, a Jay Gatsby for modern Washington. Cassidy came to Washington in 1969 as an idealistic young lawyer determined to help feed the hungry. Over the course of thirty years, he built one of the city's largest and most profitable lobbying firms and accumulated a personal fortune of more than $100 million. Cassidy's story provides an unprecedented view of lobbying from within the belly of the beast.A timely and tremendously important book that finally explains how Washington really works today, and why it works so badly.From the Hardcover edition.