The Gift of Therapy

Book excerpt: The Gift of Therapy is the new book from the bestselling author of Love's Executioner. The culmination of master psychiatrist Dr Irvin Yalom's forty-five years' work as a therapist, this book illustrates through real case studies how patients and therapists alike can get the most out of therapy. Presented as eighty-five 'tips' for 'beginner therapists', Yalom shares his own fresh approach and the insights he has gained while treating his patients. Personal, and sometimes provocative, Yalom includes some unorthodox suggestions: - Let the patient matter to you - Acknowledge your errors - Create a new therapy for each patient - Three kinds of therapist self-disclosure - Revealing the therapist's personal life: use caution - Full interpretation of a dream? Forget it - Freud was not always wrong This is an entertaining, informative and insightful read for both beginner (and experienced) therapists, patients and everyone with an interest in the subject.