The Compleat Therapist (Jossey-Bass Social & Behavioral Science) [Hardcover]

Jeffrey A. Kottler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1991 | ISBN-10: 1555423027 | ISBN-13: 978-1555423025 | Edition: 1

How can therapists practice so differently, yet achieve similar results? Jeffrey Kottler identifies the traits all good therapists have in common and combines the most effective healing practices into one coherent framework. He also shows how to integrate these characteristics into your own practice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tackling the questions of why and how diverse psychotherapeutic approaches so often lead to similar helpful results for clients, Kottler ( On Being a Therapist ) attempts a portrait of the "consummate practitioner." An associate professor of counseling at the Citadel, a college in South Carolina, he calls upon his own experience, interviews with other therapists and the field's literature to select what he deems to be the best features from most systems. Citing approaches championed by Freud, Carl Rogers, Milton Erickson and Albert Ellis, among others, he concludes that what matters most is "who the therapist is as a human being . . . ." Addressed to therapists but of interest to clients as well, Kottler's accessible though repetitive examination confirms what many clients and therapists already believe: that healing derives from the therapeutic relationship. "Therapists who are perceived as confident and credible produce positive results." Kottler anticipates the discovery of an integrated theory of therapy that will connect the essence of diverse methodologies, much as Newton's discoveries unified pre-17th century theories of physics.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Jeffrey Kottler has taken on a daunting challenge to examine the chaotic field of psychotherapy and abstract 'what works.' He makes his survey with wit, humility and clinical sophistication." --James F.T. Bugental, past president, California State Psychological Association

"Addressed to therapists but of interest to clients as well....Kottler anticipates the discovery of an integrated theory of therapy that will connect the essence of diverse methodologies, much as Newton's discoveries unified pre-seventeenth-century theories of physics."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 8, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555423027
• ISBN-13: 978-1555423025
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffrey A. Kottler has authored over 65 books in the field for counselors, therapists, teachers, and the public, including COMPASSIONATE THERAPY: WORKING WITH DIFFICULT CLIENTS; ON BEING A THERAPIST; COUNSELORS FINDING THEIR WAY; MAKING CHANGES LAST; COUNSELING SKILLS FOR TEACHERS; DIVINE MADNESS: TEN STORIES OF CREATIVE STRUGGLE; BAD THERAPY: MASTER THERAPISTS SHARE THEIR WORST FAILURES; THE CLIENT WHO CHANGED ME: STORIES OF THERAPIST PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION; and THE MUMMY AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE: EMINENT THERAPISTS REVEAL THEIR MOST UNUSUAL CASES AND WHAT THEY TEACH US ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR.

Jeffrey has worked as a teacher, counselor, and therapist in a preschool, middle school, mental health center, crisis center, university, community college, and private practice. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar and Senior Lecturer in Peru and Iceland, teaching counseling theory and practice. He has also served as a visiting professor in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, and Nepal. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Counseling Department at California State University, Fullerton.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, warm,humorous tale of growing as a psychothearpist, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Compleat Therapist (Jossey-Bass Social & Behavioral Science) (Hardcover)

A must read for anyone who does therapy for a living.

Kottler is a wonderful writer, and it is unfair that someone so young can have such a gifted view of human beings, our true needs, and how to help people in practical, professional, loving ways. Somewhere in your life there is a friend or therapist that will love this book, and thank you for getting it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rejuvenating and inspirational!, April 25, 2003

By 

Dr. K "Dr. K" (Northern California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Compleat Therapist (Jossey-Bass Social & Behavioral Science) (Hardcover)

This was required reading for my first semester as a psychology grad student and I found it completely motivating and reassuring. It's an easy, enjoyable read and I highly recommend it to any psychology student who wants to be a practicioner.

Kottler emphasizes the professional relationship as primary to change versus specific techniques or orientations. If you're in the field and you need a boost, pick this book up!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information., November 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Compleat Therapist (Jossey-Bass Social & Behavioral Science) (Hardcover)

Kottlers' approach to treatment comes alive, thanks to the interweaving of narrative with a wealth of clinical information.