The Therapist's Journey
From Meeting Your First Client to Finding Your Life's Work
Robert Taibbi
Request a free digital professor copy on VitalSource ?See also other essential resources for new clinicians—Becoming a Therapist, Second Edition, by Suzanne Bender and Edward Messner, which covers what to say and why, starting from the very first session, and The Mental Health Clinician's Workbook, by James Morrison, which takes a learn-by-doing approach to building diagnostic skills.
“This book distills deep clinical wisdom, gained over a lifetime, into a collection of absolute gems. Several dozen (wonderfully short) chapters each capture a vital aspect of transformative therapy. Others provide profoundly helpful morsels of wise, pragmatic guidance for the journey of becoming a good therapist. This book is a gift to beginning therapists.”
—Patricia L. Papernow, EdD, author of Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships
“This wise and informative book will teach you what it is like to become a therapist, and how to be a good one. It is chock-full of excellent advice.”
—Michael P. Nichols, PhD, author of The Lost Art of Listening
“Every therapist (or would-be) needs this highly personal, insightful, painfully honest book. Taibbi writes in a conversational tone, spilling his own story in engaging detail and inviting the reader to look deeply into their own motives and expectations about the profession. Fifty-nine short chapters make the book useful as a reference work: Don’t like your supervisor? Chapter 33. Sexual feelings for a client? Chapter 31. Thinking about going private? Chapter 50. There is a ton of really good, real-world clinical guidance in this book, but Taibbi also has a deeper focus. He helps readers look inward and be open to their own emotional experience, rather than find ways to 'fix' people. Taibbi emphasizes the intimate, personal nature of the work and the therapist’s full engagement—and that is what makes the book so valuable.”
—David Waters, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine, University of Virginia
“This comprehensive, wide-ranging, practical guide provides a window into the actual experience of becoming a therapist. Based on decades of clinical experience, it outlines the joys and challenges of the adventure, providing clear guidance, engaging exercises, and sensible dos and don’ts for every step of the way. Simultaneously wise and playful, and full of honest, real-life examples, this is a 'must read' for beginning therapists and their mentors alike.”
—Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, Harvard Medical School
Table of Contents
I. Starting Out1. Why Do You Want to Be a Therapist? A Question & Answer in Two Parts
2. Reflections: My Becoming a Therapist
3. Why Doing Therapy is Hard Work
4. Transitions: From the Academic to the Agency World
5. Piling On: Common Clinical Challenges
6. Reflections: My First Year
II. Your Work
7. Six Ways to Build Rapport
8. Be the Adult
9. What Can’t You Do?
10. Coping with Anxiety: Approach, Avoid, or Bind?
11. The Relationship Triangle
12. Making the Most of Parallel Process
13. Shifting Focus: How Therapy is Different from Normal Conversation
14. Therapy’s Many Voices
15. Therapy as a Pragmatic Sport
16. Creative Formats: Thinking Outside the Box
17. Therapy as Performance
18. Handling Self-Disclosure
19. Sounds of Silence
20. Everything to Know About Resistance
21. Getting on Track and Staying There 
22. Changing the Emotional Climate
23. The Challenge of Couple Therapy
24. Three Big Obstacles in Relationships
25. Children, Families, and Therapy
26. Working with Play
27. Time to Check In
28. First Aid for Those Awful Sessions
29. When a Client Is in Crisis
30. Working with Clients Who are Different From You
31. Handling Sexual Attraction: It’s Gonna Happen
32. Those You Can’t Help
III. Your Workplace
33. So, You Don’t Like Your Supervisor?
34. What Your Supervisor’s World Is Like
35. Time to Leave Your Therapist?
36. Clients Are not Vicarious Outlets
37. When You Don’t Like Your Clients
38. Working in Challenging Environments
39. When You're Having a Hard Time
40. So, What Do You Do All Day?
41. Organization One: Taking Control of Your Day
42. Organization Two: Setting Priorities
IV. Your Career
43. Your Work: A Job, a Career, a Calling
44. One Year Out: Moving from Content to Process
45. Moving On: Coming into Your Power
46. A Voice of Your Own
47. How to Use Trainings
48. When You Outgrow Your Job
49. Transitions: Clinician to Supervisor
50. Going Private
51. Reflections: Looking Back at a Career
V. You
52. Are You a Builder or a Discoverer?
53. Creating a Balanced Life
54. Getting Closure: Writing to Heal Old Wounds
55. Reflections: My Big Day in Court
56. Run Toward What You Fear
57. Your Life as a Movie
58. What’s Your Relationship with Your Life?
59. How to Be Wise
References
Index
About the Author
Robert Taibbi, LCSW, is an experienced clinician, supervisor, and clinical director who has been practicing almost 50 years. He is the author of numerous books, includingAudience
Clinical psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses.Course Use
May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.
Special package offer:
Becoming a Therapist, Second Edition, by Suzanne Bender and Edward Messner, covers what to say and why, starting from the very first session. The Mental Health Clinician's Workbook, by James Morrison, takes a learn-by-doing approach to building diagnostic skills.
Order all 3 items for $90.95, instead of $121.00 if bought separately!
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