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How to Survive as a Psychotherapist
This text follows the professional life of a psychotherapist. The book begins with the concept of vocation, then follows through the training programme, and the setting up of a private practice. Several aspects of the life are then studied in detail, such as consultations and coping with suicidal patients. It also looks at the personal issues involved in being a psychotherapist, such as personal outlook on life.
- GenresPsychologyPsychoanalysis
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 11, 2013
I ordered this book online and was surprised at the lack of pages when it arrived. From other books I've read and received, I always expect psychology books written by psychologists to be large and somewhat intimidating. This isn't, and you can either take that as a positive or negative. The cover itself was also odd and basic, but as I've always been told never to judge a book by its cover, I jumped right in.
I thought the book was going to be written like a guide to becoming a psychotherapist, from undergrad through to setting up private practice, but it's not really like that at all. It's more a series of thoughts about being a therapist, written by someone who clearly has a very analytical, Freudian approach to therapy. Not that it's a bad thing, but whilst I was reading I got the feeling that the author wasn't particularly open-minded or informative about other options.
The book starts with talking about students at degree level, (but not in detail...), then goes straight on to setting up private practice and some of the odd things you'll need but don't consider, such as choosing the right chairs and having a metal bin...
It's all a bit... Well, 'bitty'.
There are a few good stories about clients, but in my opinion not enough for someone who has been a therapist for many years.
Although there was some useful information, it was quite hard wading through the odd writing style to find the good bits.
Which brings me on to my next point; one does not need to use 'one' in almost every sentence, does one?! This can get very tedious and also comes across as very pretentious. This takes me to the last chapter quite nicely...
In the final part, the author attempts writing as herself rather than a therapist, but, I felt, came across as rather old-fashioned, particularly when the majority of the chapter focuses on the fact that she has no children or partner and that this is an advantage when being a therapist. She covers herself with one sentence about how she knows of colleagues who are able to manage a PART time practice and have a family, but clearly is of the opinion that there is no way to manage having a family AND being a decent therapist. I think it was this chapter which jaded my opinion of the entire book - the 'one' references I could have just about dealt with if I hadn't of got the impression at the end that the author was as pretentious as her writing style.
All in all I would recommend a read if you're studying undergrad psychology - there are some good points to take away, and if you're a Freudian you won't have too many problems reading this. If, like me, you're more open-minded about therapy then be prepared for a little frustration. However, it's such a short book that it doesn't take long to read, and I say any extra information or snippets of advice at this stage of the journey are worth noting, even if one does not agree with the style of writing, or the author's opinion. After all, learning how to disagree tactfully is all part of being a therapist, right?!
I thought the book was going to be written like a guide to becoming a psychotherapist, from undergrad through to setting up private practice, but it's not really like that at all. It's more a series of thoughts about being a therapist, written by someone who clearly has a very analytical, Freudian approach to therapy. Not that it's a bad thing, but whilst I was reading I got the feeling that the author wasn't particularly open-minded or informative about other options.
The book starts with talking about students at degree level, (but not in detail...), then goes straight on to setting up private practice and some of the odd things you'll need but don't consider, such as choosing the right chairs and having a metal bin...
It's all a bit... Well, 'bitty'.
There are a few good stories about clients, but in my opinion not enough for someone who has been a therapist for many years.
Although there was some useful information, it was quite hard wading through the odd writing style to find the good bits.
Which brings me on to my next point; one does not need to use 'one' in almost every sentence, does one?! This can get very tedious and also comes across as very pretentious. This takes me to the last chapter quite nicely...
In the final part, the author attempts writing as herself rather than a therapist, but, I felt, came across as rather old-fashioned, particularly when the majority of the chapter focuses on the fact that she has no children or partner and that this is an advantage when being a therapist. She covers herself with one sentence about how she knows of colleagues who are able to manage a PART time practice and have a family, but clearly is of the opinion that there is no way to manage having a family AND being a decent therapist. I think it was this chapter which jaded my opinion of the entire book - the 'one' references I could have just about dealt with if I hadn't of got the impression at the end that the author was as pretentious as her writing style.
All in all I would recommend a read if you're studying undergrad psychology - there are some good points to take away, and if you're a Freudian you won't have too many problems reading this. If, like me, you're more open-minded about therapy then be prepared for a little frustration. However, it's such a short book that it doesn't take long to read, and I say any extra information or snippets of advice at this stage of the journey are worth noting, even if one does not agree with the style of writing, or the author's opinion. After all, learning how to disagree tactfully is all part of being a therapist, right?!
February 26, 2025
Niepozorna książeczka o zaskakująco dużej mocy. Warto przeczytać.
February 4, 2025
I ordered this book online and was surprised at the lack of pages when it arrived. From other books I've read and received, I always expect psychology books written by psychologists to be large and somewhat intimidating. This isn't, and you can either take that as a positive or negative. The cover itself was also odd and basic, but as I've always been told never to judge a book by its cover, I jumped right in.
I thought the book was going to be written like a guide to becoming a psychotherapist, from undergrad through to setting up private practice, but it's not really like that at all. It's more a series of thoughts about being a therapist, written by someone who clearly has a very analytical, Freudian approach to therapy. Not that it's a bad thing, but whilst I was reading I got the feeling that the author wasn't particularly open-minded or informative about other options.
The book starts with talking about students at degree level, (but not in detail...), then goes straight on to setting up private practice and some of the odd things you'll need but don't consider, such as choosing the right chairs and having a metal bin...
It's all a bit... Well, 'bitty'.
There are a few good stories about clients, but in my opinion not enough for someone who has been a therapist for many years.
Although there was some useful information, it was quite hard wading through the odd writing style to find the good bits.
Which brings me on to my next point; one does not need to use 'one' in almost every sentence, does one?! This can get very tedious and also comes across as very pretentious. This takes me to the last chapter quite nicely...
In the final part, the author attempts writing as herself rather than a therapist, but, I felt, came across as rather old-fashioned, particularly when the majority of the chapter focuses on the fact that she has no children or partner and that this is an advantage when being a therapist. She covers herself with one sentence about how she knows of colleagues who are able to manage a PART time practice and have a family, but clearly is of the opinion that there is no way to manage having a family AND being a decent therapist. I think it was this chapter which jaded my opinion of the entire book - the 'one' references I could have just about dealt with if I hadn't of got the impression at the end that the author was as pretentious as her writing style.
All in all I would recommend a read if you're studying undergrad psychology - there are some good points to take away, and if you're a Freudian you won't have too many problems reading this. If, like me, you're more open-minded about therapy then be prepared for a little frustration. However, it's such a short book that it doesn't take long to read, and I say any extra information or snippets of advice at this stage of the journey are worth noting, even if one does not agree with the style of writing, or the author's opinion. After all, learning how to disagree tactfully is all part of being a therapist, right?!
I thought the book was going to be written like a guide to becoming a psychotherapist, from undergrad through to setting up private practice, but it's not really like that at all. It's more a series of thoughts about being a therapist, written by someone who clearly has a very analytical, Freudian approach to therapy. Not that it's a bad thing, but whilst I was reading I got the feeling that the author wasn't particularly open-minded or informative about other options.
The book starts with talking about students at degree level, (but not in detail...), then goes straight on to setting up private practice and some of the odd things you'll need but don't consider, such as choosing the right chairs and having a metal bin...
It's all a bit... Well, 'bitty'.
There are a few good stories about clients, but in my opinion not enough for someone who has been a therapist for many years.
Although there was some useful information, it was quite hard wading through the odd writing style to find the good bits.
Which brings me on to my next point; one does not need to use 'one' in almost every sentence, does one?! This can get very tedious and also comes across as very pretentious. This takes me to the last chapter quite nicely...
In the final part, the author attempts writing as herself rather than a therapist, but, I felt, came across as rather old-fashioned, particularly when the majority of the chapter focuses on the fact that she has no children or partner and that this is an advantage when being a therapist. She covers herself with one sentence about how she knows of colleagues who are able to manage a PART time practice and have a family, but clearly is of the opinion that there is no way to manage having a family AND being a decent therapist. I think it was this chapter which jaded my opinion of the entire book - the 'one' references I could have just about dealt with if I hadn't of got the impression at the end that the author was as pretentious as her writing style.
All in all I would recommend a read if you're studying undergrad psychology - there are some good points to take away, and if you're a Freudian you won't have too many problems reading this. If, like me, you're more open-minded about therapy then be prepared for a little frustration. However, it's such a short book that it doesn't take long to read, and I say any extra information or snippets of advice at this stage of the journey are worth noting, even if one does not agree with the style of writing, or the author's opinion. After all, learning how to disagree tactfully is all part of being a therapist, right?!
November 11, 2022
Something so simple, grounded and hopeful about this book.
May 31, 2023
Testo interessante e rassicurante per psicologi e psicoterapeuti agli esordi. Contiene tante riflessioni, molte attuali alcune obsolete, ma comunque utili.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews