Tough love and astute suggestions for a profession in need of reform.
An impassioned critique of psychotherapy with salient suggestions for improvement.
Family therapist and associate professor Caldwell (Couples and Family Therapy/Alliant International Univ.; Preparing for the California MFT Law and Ethics Exam, 2015, etc.) minces no words in his critical assessment of his profession, claiming, “We don’t know who or what it is that therapists are fighting for.” His main point is that, despite therapy’s proven effectiveness, “fewer people are going,” and he believes it’s up to the individual psychotherapist to take specific actions to repair the field’s reputation. The book begins with an overview of psychotherapy, citing studies and statistics that show therapy yields positive results, but those seeking help often choose prescription medication instead. Included is an excellent, insightful discussion of broad issues surrounding psychotherapy, like the perceived social stigma of counseling and the negative portrayal of the profession in movies and TV. Early on, Caldwell introduces the “five tasks” therapists can employ to “save psychotherapy,” which include “embrace science” and “accept accountability,” and, in subsequent chapters, describes them clearly and in considerable detail. Caldwell tackles knotty issues head-on, including the incompetence of some therapists: “When a profession itself is relatively undefined in the mind of the professional…a natural consequence is that it can be hard for that professional to know what it means to be good at their job.” Regarding training and licensure, the author is even more blunt: “Increasing evidence suggests that many of the requirements to become a therapist don’t serve their intended purposes.” Still, the intent here isn’t to lambaste psychotherapy; Caldwell offers rational, pragmatic ideas to improve the profession. In terms of individual accountability, for example, Caldwell urges therapists to gather data on their practices and make it public as well as “Hold your peers to a higher standard.”
Tough love and astute suggestions for a profession in need of reform.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9888759-6-8
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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