Bad Therapy: Master Therapists Share Their Worst Failures

The book demonstrates how even master therapists struggle with their own difficult cases and thorny professional challenges. Told through the narratives of their most stunning failures, two dozen of the world's most famous practitioners talk about the mistakes, misjudgements and miscalculations that haunt them. The book teaches students how experts process their own failures, and learn from them, and offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and minds of the profession's most famous authors, theoreticians and leaders. 'Kottler and Carlson have done it again. They again demonstrate their rich creativity and persuasiveness by assembling the therapy mistakes of the masters...This book will validate the halting efforts of neophyte and veteran counsellors and therapists who are often over self-critical of their own performance.' - Robert E. Wubbolding, Ed.D., University of Cincinnati

Table of Contents:
The Authors Preface 1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Parameters of Bad Therapy 2. Jeffrey A. Kottler: The Thing Is 3. Jon Carlson: Stories Without Endings 4. Peggy Papp: A Public Humiliation 5. Arnold A. Lazarus: A Huge Dose of Humility 6. Violet Oaklander: If I Learned Something, Then I Can Forgive Myself 7. Richard Schwartz: The Critical Parts of Me 8. William Glasser: I Can't Wait Until You Leave 9. Stephen Lankton: Speaking the Client's Language 10. Francine Shapiro: I Need to Have Safeguards in Place 11. Raymond Corsini: Don't Get Stuck With One Approach 12. John Gray: Being in Bad Therapy 13. Frank Pittman: I Take a Lot of Risks 14. Sam Gladding: I Zigged When I Should Have Zagged 15. Susan M. Johnson: I Felt Quite Helpless 16. Pat Love: Listening to My Inner Voice 17. Art Freeman: We're Not as Smart as We Think We Are 18. John Norcross: 50 Minutes of Pure Hostility 19. Len Sperry: Letting Things Get Personal 20. Scott D. Miller: I Should Have Known Better 21. Michael F. Hoyt: I Was Blind at the Time 22. Richard Stuart: I Expect Too Much 23. Michele Weiner-Davis: Struck by a Bolt of Lightning-Again! 24. Some Common Themes and Lessons Learned References

About the Author :
Jeffrey A. Kottler, Ph. D., is Professor and Chair of the Counseling Program at California State University, Fullerton. He is author of over 45 books in the field, including Doing Good, Making Changes Last and the NewYork Times bestseller, The Last Victim. Jon Carlson,Psy.D., Ed.D. is Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Governers State University and a psychologist with the Lake Geneva Wellness Clinic in Wisconsin. He is the founding editor of The Family Journal and has written more than 20 books.

Review :
"...I believe that all psychotherapists would benefit from this book, regardless of level of experience. Graduate students would benefit as well because it is never too early to learn from the mistakes of others. The authors and contributors are more than credible authorities in the field. They are the experts, the movers and shakers in the field of psychotherapy research and practice...The book is simply delightful. The contributors, well-known experts in the field, are very candid and it is obvious that they have reflected on and learned from their mistakes. It is very readable and enjoyable. I found myself not being able to put it down. It is a book that you can easily learn from and I believe it should be required reading for courses in psychotherapy." -- DoodyReview, January 2003 "This book is a must read for students of therapy of all ages and persuasions - a casebook of how to fall in your face and get up knowing more than before the fall." -- David E. Scharff, M.D., International Institute of Object Relations Therapy and co-author of Object RelationsIndividual Therapy "With astounding candor and with a great deal of humility, twenty-two of the world's master therapists reveal their worst mistakes and failures, and guess what? They are the same ones all of us make. Every psychotherapist will learn from these revelations and will be more empowered to be more confident and humble. You must read this book; you and your clients will greatly benefit." -- Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D., Sc.D., Former President of the American Psychological Association, author of 23 books including, Focused Psychotherapy: A Casebook of Brief,Intermittent Psychotherapy Throughout the Life Cycle "This book is a comfort to those of us who practice the "impossible art" of psychotherapy, because it shows how to admit mistakes, study why we made them, and become better therapists in the process. These cases are worth several graduate courses in psychotherapy." -- William J. Doherty, Ph.D., Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota, and author of Soul Searching: Why Psychotherapy Must Promote MoralResponsibility "Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson beautifully guide several outstanding therapists to be exceptionally candid about some of their worst cases. Not only will this book be very helpful to other practicing therapists, but also to general readers... A forthright and unusually valuable book!" -- Albert Ellis, Ph.D., President, Albert Ellis Institute, New York City and the author of A Guide toRational Living