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WTF Moments In Psychotherapy: My 30 Years Of Practice Confronting The GODS of Absurdity, Fables, Fibs, Whoppers & Bullsh-t
Take a 30 year uncharted voyage through some of Jere's most baffling, puzzling and down right quirky experiences in his three decades as a therapist. Meet, Sluggo & Sweetums, The Lady Medusa, The Kerosene Kid, Retread & The Messiah, Joe The Entertainer and many, many more. George Carlin said, "you may have got the monkey off your back but that doesn't mean the circus has left town." I believe that statement represents many of the individuals addressed in my book. While many readers love the off-beat and cynical humor spread throughout the writings, a few of the readers will want to search for the instruction manual to reintroduce the fine art of tar and feathering the author. The intent of the book is to allow laughter and some lightheartedness into people's lives and into a field that is blanketed with shame, guilt, remorse and heartache. A field in which if you are not careful you'll end up taking care of everyone but yourself. The book description is best stated and summed up by Erma Bombeck, when she said there exists a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt. The book is not meant as an instructional book teaching psychotherapy techniques, offering psychotherapy tools or psychotherapy approaches. I have other self-help or psychotherapy books that deal with emotions like anger control and the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). If a lesson is to be learned it's -don't take yourself or your work so seriously you block out humor in your life. So rather than controlling your emotions I'm asking you let go and enjoy a moment of laughter. A few other comments describing the books characters referenced Charles Darwin stating that the stories may make you question Darwin's Theory of Evolution and the Survival of the Fittest. The quirky cast of individuals doesn't just include past clients but the author himself, after his return from, god only knows where, to somewhere close to normalcy. The author admits that he would have won the "Doofus Award"(given to the top jerk in therapy Doofdom) if someone other than himself had voted. One therapist jokingly stated that the book could be referred to as "I'm Close To OK, You're Most Likely Not." rather than the best seller from the seventies, "I'm OK, You're OK." The author's mother even chimed in after reading the book from the hereafter, disavowing her part in her sons skewed and unrefined language and his tilted view of the world.
- GenresNonfiction
117 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2014
8 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 17, 2017
Meiner Meinung nach studieren viele Psychologie, die sich selbst oder ein nahestehendes Familienmitglied therapieren wollen. Jere Parker bestätigt dieses Klischee. Selbst ehemaliger Alkoholiker kennt er natürlich alle Kniffe und Tricks, um sich selbst und seinen Therapeuten zu beschummeln. In seinem Buch erzählt er über seine kuriosesten Fälle. Dieses Buch sollte zum Schmunzeln anregen. Das hat es nicht. Ich fand es eher deprimierend, wie herzlos Herr Parker mit seinen Patienten umspringt. Er wurde schon von anderen mehrfach als Arschloch betitelt und denen muss ich leider Recht geben. Ich war eher voll des Mitgefühls, für die armen kranken Menschen, die ausgerechnet bei ihm Hilfe suchen. Gerade als Ehemaliger, sollte man mehr Verständnis aufbringen. Ich begreife durchaus, dass das Leben als Therapeut hart sein kann und man oft Gummistiefel braucht um psychische Untiefen und menschliche Abgründe zu durchwaten und dass man nicht immer nur auf nette Leute trifft. Aber sicher gibt es im Alltag eines Psychologen hin und wieder mal wirklich witzige Begebenheiten, die man erzählen kann ohne den Patienten bloßzustellen. Entweder hatte Herr Parker diese nie, was traurig wäre oder er kann einfach nicht erzählen, dann sollte er allerdings das Bücher schreiben lassen. Für mich ganz klar Daumen nach unten für dieses Buch
May 12, 2015
About as funny as running over your dog.
January 7, 2016
Just a crappy book!
January 5, 2019
How is this guy a psychologist
My respect for this guy as a professional deteriorated as I read the book. He's supposed to be describing some really extreme and absurd cases, right? So he starts by describing an encounter with a guy who wanks in front of hospital staff. Big deal? Women see guys wanking in public at them all the time. He describes another guy who flashed his wang at a lady, as if this is some kind of unheard-of event that only a total crazy would be involved in. Nope just standard perverts. He was like "how do you even treat someone this crazy?! This isn't in the DSM!" Wow. That's a pretty low bar for throwing in the towel mate.
My respect for this guy as a professional deteriorated as I read the book. He's supposed to be describing some really extreme and absurd cases, right? So he starts by describing an encounter with a guy who wanks in front of hospital staff. Big deal? Women see guys wanking in public at them all the time. He describes another guy who flashed his wang at a lady, as if this is some kind of unheard-of event that only a total crazy would be involved in. Nope just standard perverts. He was like "how do you even treat someone this crazy?! This isn't in the DSM!" Wow. That's a pretty low bar for throwing in the towel mate.
May 21, 2025
Remember all those compelling excuses perps give the police officers on "Cops"? Give those geniuses a few days in lock-up to perfect their stories and they have something even BETTER to tell the counselor whose job it is to assess their potential for rehabilitation.
The author is a recovering addict who counsels addicts. There's a trend now toward hiring recoving addicts for addiction counseling. I suppose the theory is "Takes One to Know One." I have my doubts about the wisdom of this, but no one asked me.
Keeping in mind that most of the people this author sees have "Court Ordered" stamped on their files and you can imagine the brilliance of some of thes stories he hears on a daily basis. If you're not easily shocked, it's a very funny book. If you ARE easily shocked or have some sort of heart condition, better sit down before you read it.
Just sayin'.
The author is a recovering addict who counsels addicts. There's a trend now toward hiring recoving addicts for addiction counseling. I suppose the theory is "Takes One to Know One." I have my doubts about the wisdom of this, but no one asked me.
Keeping in mind that most of the people this author sees have "Court Ordered" stamped on their files and you can imagine the brilliance of some of thes stories he hears on a daily basis. If you're not easily shocked, it's a very funny book. If you ARE easily shocked or have some sort of heart condition, better sit down before you read it.
Just sayin'.
June 24, 2021
Funny
Clinical cases highlighting the absurd circumstances therapist finds himself in. A couple made me laugh at loud at the foolishness.
Clinical cases highlighting the absurd circumstances therapist finds himself in. A couple made me laugh at loud at the foolishness.
February 16, 2015
Truth is stranger than fiction
If Mr. Parker should decide to retire from his profession as a therapist, he could become wealthy writing sitcoms, short stories and novels, or as a stand-up comic. His stories of the whacky, bizarre, and downright unbelievable situations in which he's found himself as a therapist made me laugh out loud several times. He is a gifted observer of the weirdness in everyday life, and a clever writer who does not hesitate to put his own personal absurdities and demons on display for public scrutiny. A former substance abuser who saw the light, got clean and sober, and dedicated his career to helping troubled souls, Mr. Parker has chosen a few choice, ripe, vignettes from his 30 years in practice to demonstrate that a therapist, much like any professional, periodically finds him or herself confounded by the sheer ludicrousness of the people he or she meets in his or her career. While I am not now, nor have I ever been, in the mental health profession, I can relate: in almost 25 years in management, I've encountered employees who were either totally clueless, or, sadly, seriously mentally ill.
The tales in this book are caricatures of actual clients and encounters. While at times I felt uncomfortable that Mr. Parker drew from his experience, almost as though he had taken advantage of the unusual situations experienced by a very small slice of his professional pie, at the same time I realized that the annual Darwin Awards recognize similarly unfortunate people. By holding a mirror up to the face of the therapist, Mr. Parker sheds light on the fact that not everyone is Freud or Jung, reminds us that we are all human, and that being human is not called the human comedy without good reason.
Or, maybe I found this hysterically funny because I'm as whacked as some of the people who've sat across the desk from Mr. Parker.
If Mr. Parker should decide to retire from his profession as a therapist, he could become wealthy writing sitcoms, short stories and novels, or as a stand-up comic. His stories of the whacky, bizarre, and downright unbelievable situations in which he's found himself as a therapist made me laugh out loud several times. He is a gifted observer of the weirdness in everyday life, and a clever writer who does not hesitate to put his own personal absurdities and demons on display for public scrutiny. A former substance abuser who saw the light, got clean and sober, and dedicated his career to helping troubled souls, Mr. Parker has chosen a few choice, ripe, vignettes from his 30 years in practice to demonstrate that a therapist, much like any professional, periodically finds him or herself confounded by the sheer ludicrousness of the people he or she meets in his or her career. While I am not now, nor have I ever been, in the mental health profession, I can relate: in almost 25 years in management, I've encountered employees who were either totally clueless, or, sadly, seriously mentally ill.
The tales in this book are caricatures of actual clients and encounters. While at times I felt uncomfortable that Mr. Parker drew from his experience, almost as though he had taken advantage of the unusual situations experienced by a very small slice of his professional pie, at the same time I realized that the annual Darwin Awards recognize similarly unfortunate people. By holding a mirror up to the face of the therapist, Mr. Parker sheds light on the fact that not everyone is Freud or Jung, reminds us that we are all human, and that being human is not called the human comedy without good reason.
Or, maybe I found this hysterically funny because I'm as whacked as some of the people who've sat across the desk from Mr. Parker.
February 21, 2015
WTF Moments In Psychotherapy: My 30 Years Of Practice Confronting The GODS of Absurdity, Fables, Fibs, Whoppers & Bullsh-t by Jere Parker is a short humorous read. Parker works as an addictions counselor. The book is just a few stories of the weird things and people he encounters in his line of work.
First of all I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but the cover on this book is funny. That is actually what drew me to want to read this book. The stories are interesting and funny, such as what Joe the entertainer showers the room with when staff would enter it. The way Parker retells these stories is in a sarcastically but brutally honest way. At the beginning of most of the chapters, Parker tells the definition of his terminology. This is to insure the reader gets a clearer picture of what is actually going on in the story.
Overall the book is funny but I think Parke explains some things a little too much at times. This book might be good for anyone in the medical field that can use a smile. I for one hope I never end up a story in a book like this.
First of all I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but the cover on this book is funny. That is actually what drew me to want to read this book. The stories are interesting and funny, such as what Joe the entertainer showers the room with when staff would enter it. The way Parker retells these stories is in a sarcastically but brutally honest way. At the beginning of most of the chapters, Parker tells the definition of his terminology. This is to insure the reader gets a clearer picture of what is actually going on in the story.
Overall the book is funny but I think Parke explains some things a little too much at times. This book might be good for anyone in the medical field that can use a smile. I for one hope I never end up a story in a book like this.
August 18, 2016
In hindsight, just what was I thinking? The signs were there. A therapist that leads out the title of his book with WTF? The picture on the cover? This is going on my abandoned shelf. I thought maybe it would present clinically unique situations that perhaps seemed humorous on the surface. No. The author is disrespectful, condescending and judgmental, though I'm sure he doesn't see himself this way - it comes through in the writing. Shocking given his own background, but personally I consider his conduct in publishing this work to be unethical. And that concludes the worst review I have ever written.
July 22, 2015
I read this book out of curiosity. My twisted sense of humor found the title amusing, which deemed it worth a read. I mean, I'd already read a book on strippers so why not psychotherapy?
The book was indeed amusing. I found myself shocked a couple of times. I never got the out loud laugh I thought I would, but I did think "HOLY SH!T" a few times. There were some tales "absurd" doesn't begin to cover.
It was worth the read for amusement and to see new all time lows of bullsh!t.
The book was indeed amusing. I found myself shocked a couple of times. I never got the out loud laugh I thought I would, but I did think "HOLY SH!T" a few times. There were some tales "absurd" doesn't begin to cover.
It was worth the read for amusement and to see new all time lows of bullsh!t.
June 4, 2015
A refreshing behind the scenes look at addiction therapy.
If more therapists ...as we see here... had personal built-in BS meters...plus liberal doses of honest humor, perhaps there would be more successful clients, less recidivism. An entertaining, enlightening read.
If more therapists ...as we see here... had personal built-in BS meters...plus liberal doses of honest humor, perhaps there would be more successful clients, less recidivism. An entertaining, enlightening read.
January 3, 2015
Some funny parts
There were some funny moments in this book. However I found a few grammatical errors and mistakes in spelling. Overall worth a read.
There were some funny moments in this book. However I found a few grammatical errors and mistakes in spelling. Overall worth a read.
May 29, 2015
Some of the stories where funny, my husband and I had a few good laughs.
May 23, 2015
Hilarious. A fun and entertaining read. Great for laughs. I can picture it perfectly.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews