Five Minutes a Day to an Upgraded Therapy Practice

Stephanie Ellis, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in counseling psychology. For over fifteen years, she has been providing psychotherapy, teaching psychology and counseling, and delivering group and individual supervision.

"If you want to continue to advance your skills and confidence as a therapist – but don’t want to add yet another ‘approach’ or ‘technique’ to your already overstuffed toolkit – this is the book for you. Ellis works on the assumption that you already have the knowledge and resources you need to be an effective therapist, and she provides a treasure trove of useful tips and easy-to-practice exercises to help you strengthen your therapeutic muscles and further refine your therapeutic techniques. There’s a reason we call what we do a ‘therapy practice’ – and although in our profession practice will never make perfect, it will certainly make you better – and Ellis’s nuggets of wisdom will certainly help you get there."Victor Yalom, PhD, founder and CEO of Psychotherapy.net"I don’t know how she did it, but Stephanie Ellis managed to cram half a graduate program's worth of foundational research on psychotherapy into a book that weighs less than a bag of coffee beans, and by some magic it reads more like an engaging mystery novel than a textbook! This book is everything you could hope for – knowledgeable and practical, challenging in the way that brings out your best, and lighthearted and endlessly entertaining."Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, host of The Psychology Podcast, author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization"Stephanie Ellis provides a relational approach to help therapists better themselves. Up-to-date information. Engaging read. Easily incorporates methods to improve your practice regardless of preferred theory or level of experience."Jeffrey K. Zeig, PhD, director of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation"A valuable resource for new and experienced therapists alike, each chapter of Five Minutes a Day to an Upgraded Practice directs you to the foundational elements of effective psychotherapy, next-level nuances of theory and practice, and pragmatic ways to apply these concepts right away. If you want to improve as a therapist, use the advice we give to our clients and make small, consistent, and meaningful changes, and read one short chapter a day of this engaging, informative book."Joel Minden, PhD, psychologist, author of Show Your Anxiety Who's Boss: A Three-Step CBT Program to Help You Reduce Anxious Thoughts and Worry"Dr. Stephanie Ellis's masterfully written book is an excellent guide for therapists in all stages of their careers. In a fun and engaging manner, Dr. Ellis describes the bedrock concepts of the field and then transforms each principle into a practical tip. The wisdom throughout the book will be especially useful to novice therapists seeking powerful ways to enhance patient care."Kathryn H. Gordon, PhD, clinical psychologist, author of The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Skills to Reduce Emotional Pain, Increase Hope, and Prevent Suicide

• Introduction; Section One: How Does the "Talking Cure" Cure? (The Infrastructure of Therapy); Section Two: We’ve Got to Walk Before We Dance (Revisiting and Revamping Basic Skills); Section Three: Watch Your Mouth! (Therapeutic Language); Section Four: It’s Actually Not Magic (Exploration of Change Processes); Section Five: What We Can Get Away With (And What We Can, But Shouldn’t); Section Six: Deepening Knowledge (Without a Lot of Spare Time); Section Seven: Ethics for Practice (Not Just the School Stuff); Section Eight: It’s a Lifelong Journey (Real Professional Development); Section Nine: We Are Not Immune (Common Cognitive Distortions; Section Ten: We Can Only Be Who We Are (Self-as-Therapist); Parting Words; Index.