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414 reviews for:
The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients
Irvin D. Yalom
4.24 AVERAGE
414 reviews for:
The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients
Irvin D. Yalom
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Loved this. Very thoughtful and insightful book. The author is clearly deeply invested and passionate in helping the new generation of therapists to do good honest work.
Such mixed feelings on this book. On one hand this was incredibly helpful to me in my own practice. In fact, I would say 50% of this book I have highlighted as guidance with some of my current clients. I loved how the author took a more intentional/personal approach to therapy rather than the sterile approach frequently taught and reaffirmed through mandatory CEUs. With that being said, I struggled significantly with Yalom's insistent need to sexualize his clients and his perceived desires of him. While erotic transference is real and can occur, it seemed to me like almost every client interaction Yalom wrote about had some overt or covert suggestions to this. Additionally, I would have loved to seen case examples for clients facing some of the "heavier" issues of life that so often are the triggering event to bring someone in for therapy. The client interactions in The Gift of Therapy were largely relating to problems someone of a higher socio-economic status might face (feeling torn about who to invite on a vacation). For a book addressed in the tag line: "To a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients" it would have been helpful to focus on the common presenting problems bringing a new generation of patients into therapy.
This was one of the textbooks for my undergraduate degree in psychology. I don't remember specifics, but I remember feeling like I learned a lot, so I gave 4 stars. If I reread it eventually, that rating may change.
great advice for new therapists, new school approach, helpful language to use in your own sessions.
It was an easy and interesting read. I learned for the first time that some prominent figures in psychology sexually exploited patients. The author uses these examples to highlight the importance of therapists maintaining their integrity in the profession that power differentials exist (just like other environments, ie. corporate, military). Additionally, the author shared patient stories that partially mirror my own experiences, which I prefer to reflect on in my diary. I also discovered a few self-help techniques, such as the empty-chair experiment, where you place the negative-talk self in an empty chair and use the manifest self to speak to it. I appreciate the loving-kindness the writer emphasizes when practicing in a profession centered around serving others.
I'm about 3/4 the way through school to become a therapist myself, and I got to see real-life clients for the first time this fall. I heard snippets from this book in the back of my mind so many times throughout the semester, sitting across from my clients, or thinking about them between sessions. I found my way to Yalom after landing on existentialism as my theoretical home base for counseling. His writing makes so much sense to me (and is so enjoyable to read), that I almost feel like he's my mentor, even though I've never met the man. If I ever did, I'd probably fan-girl out. He describes therapy the way I hope and wish for therapy to be, whether I'm the counselor or the client, and he does so without the mind-numbing academic drone that so many psychology books use. This really is a great book for anyone in therapy, regardless of the chair/couch they fill in the room.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
I thought this was a really fascinating and engaging text, filled with dozens of brief pieces of advice for therapists. While written specifically towards therapists, I found the points to provide plenty of food for thought as a therapy-goer, and it certainly has made me think about the ways I engage with my own therapist.
honestly super interesting and inspiring. it made me feel a lot less scared of being a counselor, and gave me a more realistic and human-centered view of the counseling profession as a whole. lots of emphasis on the therapeutic relationship and how to use skills to heighten connection.