THE TROUBLED PEOPLE BOOK: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Help

A psychologist's frank and disarming introduction to his profession for those who need some kind of professional help, but don't know quite how to choose it or what to expect once it's underway. Though other guides are more information-packed, Quinnett's wry observations compensate. Yes, we're told the general differences among psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, etc.; we're cautioned that rapport with the therapist is the single most important key to success. But we're also alerted to various prejudices: ""In my experience, totally objective therapists do not exist, and if I meet one who claims he can work well with anyone of any color or age or sex or sexual persuasion, then I figure he's just out of graduate school, a fool, or both."" Quinnett is cautious on the use of drugs; anti-anxiety agents are best reserved for short-term use, he believes, and the use of multiple prescriptions for ""a battery of psychological symptoms"" is indefensible. He's also glad to refer potential clients to other helping agencies first: Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, saved one man's marriage and job without individual therapy. And he's extra-helpful in pinpointing situations that call for marriage counseling or family therapy. The rundown on standard approaches is fine if less-than-exhaustive, while Quinnett sensibly indicates the common pitfalls of the more faddish therapies (watch out for idolized gurus, techniques of humiliation, exalted promises), rather than reviewing them one by one. In sum: a good way to investigate the options without bogging down in detail.