A User's Guide to Therapy: What to Expect and How You Can Benefit
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Author: Tamara L. Kaiser
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Paperback:
ISBN 10: 039370534X
ISBN 13: 978-0393705348
A guidebook to understanding and getting the most out of therapy.
This book is for clients―and for clinicians to recommend to their clients―who want to enhance the process of psychotherapy and get the most out of a therapeutic relationship. Kaiser writes in a friendly, accessible tone, and explains what exactly therapy is and how it works, including the beginning, middle, and ending stages of the therapy process. She elaborates on the dynamics of the relationship between therapist and client, including such issues as power, boundaries, trust, and termination, and describes the four common factors of change: the client, the therapeutic relationship, hope, and technique. Furthermore, she explains the basic aspects of brain development and how psychotherapy physically changes the brain. This book familiarizes potential clients with four major therapeutic approaches―psychodynamic, developmental, cognitive– behavioral, and humanistic―and explains the characteristics of individual, family, and group therapy. Through case studies, Kaiser reveals the healing potential of the therapeutic relationship, including the experience of being deeply understood by and coming to trust a therapist. Kaiser offers much food for thought, as well as compassion, wisdom, encouragement, and practical suggestions for those who choose to take this fascinating and fruitful journey.
Review
“[A] reassuring and informative therapy guidebook…comprehensive, contemporary and readable…. I highly recommend it to therapists and patients alike.”
- Betsy Horton, LICSW, MN Society of Clinical Social Work
“Kaiser provides a wealth of easy-to-understand therapeutic information…provides clear direction for the client.”
- Doug Greenlee, AAMFT MN Newsletter
“If I’d read this book prior to training, my development as a therapist would have been greatly enhanced, having seen the process from the client’s point of view.”
- Gail Nagel LISW-CP, DPNAP, Newsletter for the Clinical Social Work Association
“If you are thinking about change, this book will help you decide whether to try therapy, what to expect, and when to leave. Like Penn and Teller ripping the secrecy from magic, Kaiser reveals to ordinary people what goes on behind the closed door of therapy. You learn about core issues and relationships that can lessen your anxieties and enrich your life. This book is all about hope, and how to find it in oneself―with the help of a caring therapist.”
- Pauline Boss, author of Loss, Trauma, and Resilience
About the Author
Tamara L. Kaiser, MSW, PhD, LICSW, has been a clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist for 35 years. She is also an Associate Professor at the College of St. Catherine/University of St. Thomas School of Social Work in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she teaches graduate courses in psychotherapy and is co-founder and co-director of the school's Supervision Institute. Kaiser is the author of Supervisory Relationships: Exploring the Human Element.
