How do we explain the lurid fascination that most people experience when confronted by real or simulated acts of violence, murder, horror, and crime? This is the subject examined in this candid assessment of our dark vicarious thrills. Based on a series of interviews with perpetrators, victims, and "consumers" of violence, including several celebrities, the author of a best-selling book on serial killers explores what there is about this subject that draws such a wide audience. Unlike many other books that attempt to probe the murky psyches of deviant individuals, this book focuses on normal, average people who, despite themselves, enjoy getting close to the most forbidden, perverse side of destruction and evil. The persons interviewed range from homicide detectives and emergency room personnel to a heavyweight boxer and groupies of serial killers on death row. The author considers ideas from a variety of theories and research to explain our responses to violence, raises questions about the shifting line between normal and abnormal, evaluates the confusion and ambivalence that many people feel when witnessing others' suffering, and suggests future trends in society's attitudes toward violence.

Although the impact that clients can have on therapists is well-known, most work on the subject consists of dire warnings: mental health professionals are taught early on to be on their guard for burnout, compassion fatigue, and countertransference. However, while these professional hazards are very real, the scholarly focus on the negative potential of the client-counselor relationship often implies that no good can come of allowing oneself to get too close to a client's issues. This sentiment obscures what every therapist knows to be true: that the client-counselor relationship can also effect powerful positive transformations in a therapist's own life.
"How Clients Transform Their Therapists" is Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson's testimony to the significant and often life-changing ways in which therapists have been changed by their patients. Kottler and Carlson draw not only upon their own extensive experience-between them, they have more than fifty years in the field-but also uponlengthy interviews with dozens of the country's foremost therapists and theorists. This novel work will present readers with a truly unique perspective on the business of therapy: not merely how it appears externally, but how practitioners experience it internally. Although these stories paint a complex and multi-layered portrait of the client-counselor relationship, they all demonstrate the profound and unexpected rewards that the profession has to offer.

Bad Therapy offers a rare and revealing glimpse into the mindset and actions of some of the profession's most seasoned and well-known authors, theoreticians and leaders. Kottler and Carlson guide us through these honest and poignant accounts of failure and entertaining stories of encouragement. Nobly revisiting their therapeutic mishaps and foibles, twenty-two leading cliniciancs show how moments of fallibility result in lessons that constructively lead to mastery.

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This text is intended to inspire people to make a difference in their work. Told through the experiences of those who "do good" as a vocation, it reflects the realities of helping others through those who are successful and flourishing in their work. Focused on helping beginners to feel good about their commitment to service, it is thus appropriate as a text in both under-graduate and graduate courses in counselling, human services, social work, education, and similar survey courses. It is also of use to both professionals and those involved in volunteer helping efforts.

Bad Therapy offers a rare and revealing glimpse into the mindset and actions of some of the profession's most seasoned and well-known authors, theoreticians and leaders. Kottler and Carlson guide us through these honest and poignant accounts of failure and entertaining stories of encouragement. Nobly revisiting their therapeutic mishaps and foibles, twenty-two leading cliniciancs show how moments of fallibility result in lessons that constructively lead to mastery.

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In addition to telling the story of Bradford Keeney, the first non-African to be inducted as a shaman in both the Kung Bushman and Zulu cultures, the authors present applications of indigenous shamanistic concepts to the practice of helping and healing.

Many experiences, both positive and negative, stimulate us to make changes in our lives. While many people readily recognize the need to make changes in various aspects of our lives, quite often their attention is focused primarily on choosing to change. As Jeffery Kottler argues in this innovative new book, however, it is comparatively easy to make the choice to alter our behaviors or attitudes; lasting change is the more elusive goal. In an attempt to reach the personal goals we set for ourselves, we all struggle with the same fundamental concern: how can we make our changes last?
While hundreds of books have been written on the process of change in recent years, few address the vital issue of how to make change endure. Based on original research conducted by the author over the last twenty years, Making Changes Last is a definitive investigation of enduring change.
Hundreds of therapists and change agents, in addition to a diverse group of people who have transformed themselves through travel, trauma, self-initiated experiences, or structured therapy, have been interviewed about their most dramatic opportunities for personal growth, and what contributed to making their changes last. These stories are combined with a comprehensive review of the research on the subjects of treatment maintenance, addictions relapse, permanent learning, and enduring personal; change, into a comprehensive model for understanding this complex phenomenon.
In Making Changes Last, Kottler presents theories and research that examine why changes often do not last, and then offers several practical strategies aimed to help construct an optimal treatment program that will endure over time. Written for helping and leadership professionals, members of the general public too, will find the personable and engrossing narrative both illuminating and inspiring.
Making Changes Last will give readers the knowledge and tools they need to understand the mechanisms and processes of successful, lasting change.

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Graduate school and professional training for therapists often focus on academic preparation, but there's a lot more that a therapist needs to know to be successful after graduation. With warmth, wisdom and expertise, Jeffrey A. Kottler covers crucial but under-addressed challenges that therapists face in their professional lives at all levels of experience.

Based on original research conducted by the author over the past twenty years, this book is a definitive investigation of enduring change. Hundreds of therapists and change agents, in addition to a diverse group of people who have self-initiated experiences, or structured therapy, have been interviewed about their most dramatic growth and the factors that contributed to making their changes last. Written for helping and leadership professionals, as well as the public, this book will give readers the knowledge and tools they need to understand the mechanisms and processes of lasting change.

This book is intended to inspire people to make a difference in their work. Told through the experiences of those who "do good" as a vocation, the book reflects the realities of helping others through those who are successful and flourishing in their work.
Unlike more traditional texts that concentrate exclusively on content, this work is focused on helping beginners to feel good about their commitment to service. It is thus appropriate as a text in both under-graduate and graduate courses such as Introduction to Counseling, Introduction to Human Services, Social Work I, Introduction to Education, and similar survey courses. It is equally useful to both professionals and those involved in volunteer helping efforts.

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"Slacktivism" is a term that has been coined to cynically describe the token efforts that people devote to some cause, without long-term or meaningful impact. We wear colored wristbands, pins, or ribbons proclaiming support for a particular organization. We might post something on social network sites or send messages to friends about causes dear to our hearts. We might even volunteer our time to work on behalf of marginalized, oppressed, or neglected groups or donate money to a charity. Yet the key feature of significant social action is follow through continuing efforts over a period of time so as to build meaningful relationships, provide adequate support, and conduct evaluations to measure results and make needed adjustments that make programs even more responsive.

This book is intended as an inspiration for practicing psychotherapists and counselors, as well as students, to become "actively" involved in a meaningful effort. The authors have searched far and wide to identify practitioners representing different disciplines, helping professions, geographic regions, and social action projects, all of whom have been involved in social justice efforts for some time, whether in their own communities or in far-flung regions of the world. Each of them has an amazing story to tell that reveals the challenges they ve faced, the incredible satisfactions they ve experienced, and what lessons they ve learned along the way. Each story represents a gem of wisdom, revealing both questions of faith, as well as of sustained action. The authors have been encouraged to dig deeply in order to talk about the honest realities of their work. After reading their stories, you will be ready to pick a cause that speaks to you and begin your own work.

A Note from the Author: "During a time when people are (hopefully) recovering from the chaos, uncertainty, confusion, trauma, and disruption from the pandemic, and accompanying deprivations and new challenges, it has never been more important for helping professionals, including counselors, therapists, nurses, physicians, clergy, and teachers, to take care of themselves so they can better serve others. We are models for our clients and patients, demonstrating in our own lives the critical importance of self-compassion and self-care, not just through our talk but by our actions." - Jeffrey A. Kottler Practicing What You Preach: Self-Care for Helping Professionals assists readers in recovering from the strains and demands of working within the helping professions, not through reminders to take a break or a deep breath, but through the recognition that self-care requires a constant commitment to addressing larger and more complex issues that can lead to exhaustion, depression, and burnout. The book reviews the nature and manifestations of acute and chronic compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and related issues, examining the origins of these difficulties. It explains why traditional, short-term ideas of self-care usually don't work very well, for very long, and why it's so challenging to begin and maintain healthy habits. The text helps readers recognize and confront complex issues- dysfunctional organizational climates, neglectful or abusive supervisors, overloaded schedules, unresolved personal issues, interpersonal conflicts, and unhealthy lifestyles-and then move toward productive, healthy, long-term resolutions. Written with empathy and deep understanding, Practicing What You Preach is well suited for courses in social work, counseling, family therapy, psychology, human services, health professions, and other related fields, as well as a guide for practitioners.

How do we explain the lurid fascination that most people experience when confronted by real or simulated acts of violence, murder, horror, and crime? This is the subject examined in this candid assessment of our dark vicarious thrills. Based on a series of interviews with perpetrators, victims, and "consumers" of violence, including several celebrities, the author of a best-selling book on serial killers explores what there is about this subject that draws such a wide audience. Unlike many other books that attempt to probe the murky psyches of deviant individuals, this book focuses on normal, average people who, despite themselves, enjoy getting close to the most forbidden, perverse side of destruction and evil. The persons interviewed range from homicide detectives and emergency room personnel to a heavyweight boxer and groupies of serial killers on death row. The author considers ideas from a variety of theories and research to explain our responses to violence, raises questions about the shifting line between normal and abnormal, evaluates the confusion and ambivalence that many people feel when witnessing others' suffering, and suggests future trends in society's attitudes toward violence.

Learning Group Leadership: An Experiential Approach equips readers with the basic information, theory, concepts, research, interventions, and guidelines required to help them develop into effective group leaders within a variety of settings. The book employs an experiential approach, encouraging readers to apply what they learn to common scenarios in their personal and professional lives. In the fourth edition of this popular, student-centered, and practical text students first explore the foundations of group work, studying concepts related to group dynamics, multicultural dimensions, key approaches to group intervention, and more. Part II focuses on the skills a group leader must possess in order to lead effectively. Specific topics include group assessment, specialized leadership skills, intervention, and group techniques and structures. In Part III, readers learn how to handle and address coleadership, critical incidents, and the ethical issues. The final section examines advanced group leadership challenges and techniques, including working with difficult members, employing creative interventions, and the application of group leadership to social justice and social action initiatives. The new edition of Learning Group Leadership features updated references and materials drawn from cross-disciplinary fields on group dynamics, increased focus on social justice and advocacy in group settings, numerous activities and reflection exercises, and emphasis on the student experience of being in a group and the early stages of becoming an effective group leader. This text is a valuable resource for courses in counseling, social work, psychology, human services, health professions, and education, or any course with a focus on effectively leading groups.

Fallen Heroes shares fourteen unique stories of elite athletes who struggled with significant forms of emotional disorders and mental illness within the public eye. The book includes accounts of athletes who succumbed to their mental afflictions as well as stories of those who demonstrated incredible determination and courage to either manage or overcome their personal challenges. Readers explore the unique intersection of extraordinary performance and the emotional struggles that often inform and shape the achievements of famous athletes. They learn about the imaginable pressure athletes endure physically and emotionally to perform on the public stage and how this lifestyle is generally counterproductive to emotional stability and consistent self-care. This textbook includes stories of baseball pitcher Dock Ellis, gymnast Christy Henrich, middle distance runner Suzy Favor Hamilton, cyclist Marco Pantani, hockey player Theoren Fleury, surfer Michael Peterson, football player Lionel Aldridge, and others that range from heart-wrenching to inspirational. Written with respect and reverence to elite athletes and informed by the author's decades of experience in counseling and psychotherapy, Fallen Heroes is an ideal supplemental textbook for courses in kinesiology and health science, physical education, abnormal psychology, counseling, sociology of sport, physical education, and mental health.

Making a Difference: A Story of Adventure, Disaster, and Redemption Inspired by the Plight of At-Risk Girls demonstrates to students across various disciplines that they can assume leadership positions that positively impact communities, organizations, and the world, regardless of their interests, abilities, and career goals. Through personal accounts, Jeffrey A. Kottler and Sara Safari share how they conquered a mountain for a cause, found strength in the service of others in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, and overcame personal and professional obstacles to begin a movement that protects children against abuse and victimization. The text focuses on the plight of children, especially girls, who have been systematically oppressed, but the lessons highlighted throughout are applicable to a variety of other situations and contexts. Readers learn the gifts and privileges of serving others, as well as the difficult realities of this type of work. Kottler and Safari's story guides students through the mistakes, breakthroughs, successes, and failures inherent in ventures of transformative community service. Making a Difference is an ideal supplementary text for courses in social justice, advocacy, leadership, women's studies, gender studies, sociology, social work, and counseling.

Handbook of Refugee Experience: Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery is a comprehensive resource for students, scholars, and practitioners who work with refugee populations. This collection explores contemporary issues including migration, war, oppression, genocide, health crises, and racial and cultural identities to shed light on the refugee experience. The text offers a balance of theory, research, case studies, narratives, and clinical application, while emphasizing the concepts of resilience, recovery, and successful adaptation. The first section of the handbook examines the social, cultural, and political contexts in which refugees experience their lives. The second section features powerful narratives from refugees that illuminate what it feels like to survive, recover, and flourish after exile. In the third section, readers hear from helping professionals about their struggles, challenges, frustrations, and triumphs while serving refugee populations. The fourth section focuses on clinical considerations, discussing common assessment and treatment issues, as well as practical techniques, interventions, and community-based strategies that have proven successful. The final section focuses on resilience and courage, exploring the gifts refugees, and their helpers, have received after surviving difficult life circumstances. Handbook of Refugee Experience is an ideal resource for counseling, health care, and social work courses, or any other course that prepares future practitioners to assist refugee populations.