User's Guide to Therapy
What to Expect & How You Can Benefit
Tamara L. Kaiser
Interviews
Hear Tamara Kaiser interviewed about her book on Strategies for Living with David McMillian.
Listen to Deborah Harper, President of Psychjourney, discuss Dr. Tamara L. Kaiser's new book.
Praise
"Yes, change begins by telling one’s story-- but to whom? In a warm conversational tone, Dr. Tamara Kaiser gives hope to people in pain by explaining what therapy is, how it can help discover and change the meaning of one’s story. 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, Psychotherapist, Author of Loss, Trauma, and Resilience: Therapeutic Work with Ambiguous Loss
Overview
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, cognitive–behavioral, humanistic, and family systems—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.
Contents
- Welcome to Psychotherapy
- What Makes Therapy Work? The Common Factors
- What Makes Therapy Work? Psychotherapy and the Brain
- Beginning Your Therapy
- What Did You Mean By That? Understanding How You and Your Therapist Talk to Each Other
- Approaches to Therapy
- Modes of Therapy Who’s in the Room?
- Stages of Change
- What Can You Do to Enhance Your Therapy?
- Core Issues Anxiety, Shame, and Guilt 101
- Safety and Trust
- Power and Authority
- Saying Goodbye
Books You Might Want to Read
Notes
Index
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.
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70534-8
ISBN 10: 0-393-70534-X
2008 / 208 pages/ paperback
