Jeffrey A. Kottler – författare

It is commonplace that counselors, therapists, teachers, business leaders, executives, coaches, and other helping professionals -- specifically trained in group leadership -- often fail to apply their knowledge and skills to settings in which they might matter most. The same practitioners who guide others may not be able to put that background to work when they find themselves supervising peers, leading meetings, or even managing conflict at the dinner table. What You Don't Know about Leadership, but Probably Should discusses ways that leadership skills and interventions can operate throughout daily life. Applications from group therapy and systemic intervention models will be applied to the realities that people face every day -- inspiring others, facilitating meetings, running social events, guiding conversations, and empowering others. This text uniquely integrates the latest research, theory, concepts, and skills into a model that applies these ideas to every aspect of daily life. The author draws not only from the extensive literature in group dynamics, counseling, and psychology, but also includes insights from business leaders gleaned from over a dozen interviews he conducted.

Think of a time in your life when you overcame a significant, chronic, intractable problem that had challenged you for years, until somehow you managed to completely turn things around in such a way that the change has persisted to this day. How did this happen, and what was it that made the greatest difference? Jeffrey Kottler has often explored this question-interviewing hundreds of people about their change experiences and synthesizing all the research around the globe-and he poses it in the opening pages of Change: What Really Leads to Lasting Personal Transformation. This fundamental query-how do we (or don't we) make conscious and lasting changes in our lives-has been at the center of his career as a therapist, social justice advocate, professor, scholar, and writer, and it offers a starting point for this book. Change is a mystery. There is no panacea, no one answer to how and why some people can alter their behavior, while others cannot, and even amongst the world's experts there is little consensus for what really makes the difference in successful transformations. From professional athletes to clients, colleagues, and his own personal life, Kottler interweaves powerful stories of transformation with contemporary scholarship and change theory in his examination of the varieties of human transformation. The book approaches the change process through a number of lenses, considering a variety of types of change, including those triggered by a traumatic event, hitting bottom in an addiction, inspirational travel, facing fears, and the power of altruism. Each chapter is anchored by stories of remarkable, unexpected, and lasting transformation, meant to inspire as well as illustrate the sheer range of possible change experiences. The book should leave readers with a healthy dose of skepticism for any program that promises to change your life, while also giving them a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the human psyche.

For more than thirty years, On Being a Therapist has inspired generations of mental health professionals (and their clients) to explore the most private, confusing, and sacred aspects of helping others. In this thoroughly revised and updated sixth edition, Jeffrey Kottler explores many of the challenges that therapists face in their practices today, including pressures from increased technology, economic realities, and advances in theory and technique. He also examines the stress factors that are brought on from managed care bureaucracy, conflicts at work, and clients' own anxiety and depression. This new edition includes updated sources, new material on technology, new challenges that therapists face as a result of the global pandemic, and an emphasis on teletherapy and navigating ethics and practice logistics remotely. Generations of students and practitioners in counseling, psychology, social work, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, and human services have found comfort, support, and renewed confidence in On Being a Therapist, and this sixth edition builds upon this solid foundation as it continues to educate, inform, and inspire helping professionals everywhere.

Change is often a mystery, one that baffles doctors, therapists, teachers, coaches, parents-and especially those of us who struggle to alter bad habits or simply make lasting improvements in our lives. Why do we suddenly change for the better after years of failed efforts? Why do some of us never escape our self-destructive behaviors, even when we desperately want to? What is it that most reliably and effectively produces growth, learning and development that persist over time?In this vividly written volume, psychotherapist Jeffrey Kottler weaves together inspiring stories and the latest research, taking the reader on a fascinating exploration of human behavior while highlighting what does-and does not-lead to lasting change. Kottler illuminates our many efforts to change-to stop taking drugs, reduce dependencies, leave a destructive relationship, find new and more meaningful work, or adjust to a devastating accident or trauma. Readers are invited to explore key triggers such as hitting bottom, moments of clarity, the power of altruism and service, travel to new surroundings, reading or listening to stories, religious conversion, and much more. Kottler also explores why most changes don't last and what we can do to prevent relapses.Throughout the book, Kottler recounts stories of colleagues and patients-and even recalls episodes from his own life-often moving tales of remarkable, unexpected, and lasting transformation. He looks for instance at a young black basketball star, confined to a wheelchair for life after being shot four times, who turned his life around, becoming a scholar and a PhD. An intriguing glimpse into the complexity of the human psyche, Change will engage anyone who has ever struggled to alter a habit, enrich relationships, recover from disappointment or failure, strive for more meaningful and productive work, deal with anxiety, loneliness, fears, stress, and depression, or transform their lives in any kind of significant way.

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.

"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.

"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.

Bad Therapy offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and mind's of the profession's most famous authors, thinkers, and leaders when things aren't going so well. Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson, who include their own therapy mishaps, interview twenty of the world's most famous practitioners who discuss their mistakes, misjudgements, and miscalculations on working with clients. Told through narratives, the failures are related with candor to expose the human side of leading therapists. Each therapist shares with regrets, what they learned from the experience, what others can learn from their mistakes, and the benefits of speaking openly about bad therapy.

Bad Therapy offers a rare glimpse into the hearts and mind's of the profession's most famous authors, thinkers, and leaders when things aren't going so well. Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson, who include their own therapy mishaps, interview twenty of the world's most famous practitioners who discuss their mistakes, misjudgements, and miscalculations on working with clients. Told through narratives, the failures are related with candor to expose the human side of leading therapists. Each therapist shares with regrets, what they learned from the experience, what others can learn from their mistakes, and the benefits of speaking openly about bad therapy.

Written for therapists, scholars, clergy, students, and those with an interest in non-traditional healing practices, this book tells the story of Bradford Keeney, the first non-African to be inducted as a shaman in the Kung Bushman and Zulu cultures.

By supporting others and promoting change, helping professionals also enjoy the benefit of personal growth. Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own is filled with narratives from individuals from social work, psychology, counseling, and allied health fields. Inspiring and stirring, this book vividly illustrates how to promote social justice and foster global human rights. Its accompanying DVD features stories from a social justice mission to Nepal reaching out to neglected children. Students and professionals will find this book a profound reminder of how targeted social justice efforts have resulted in transformative experiences. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

An invitation to observe and achieve transformative breakthroughs in the therapeutic experience Creative Breakthroughs in Therapy: Tales of Transformation and Astonishment brings together nineteen of the world's most prominent and creative therapists and researchers, taking professionals inside each contributor's creative innovations in theory and technique.Designed for all therapists who wish to communicate their therapeutic messages creatively and effectively, authors Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson invite you to be inspired from the observations of your peers and consider how these approaches might be applied to your own work.Drawn from real-life cases, contributors share stories of their most creative breakthroughs, demonstrating out-of-the-box thinking that freed them to create alternative ways of meeting their clients? needs. Creative Breakthroughs in Therapy: Tales of Transformation and Astonishment will motivate you to experiment as an agent of change, exploring new, creative ways to make a difference in people's lives, with wisdom from some of the world?s foremost authorities including:Stephen Lankton, Bradford Keeney, Sam Gladding, Steve Madigan, Michael Yapko, Scott Miller, Jeff Zeig, Judy Jordan, Robert Neimeyer, Laura Brown, Bill O'Hanlon, Cloe Madanes, Len Sperry, Fred Bemak, Nancy McWilliams, Nick Cummings and Alfonso MontuoriThe stories in this book represent seminal cases in which eminent practitioners in therapy and related fields express their own unique voices as clinicians. The book focuses on what led each clinician to a creative breakthrough and identifies the common variables—across all the stories—that might promote innovation in the future. Their experiences will inspire every therapist to discover their own creative path.

How do we live in a material world that measures success by what we own? How we deal with the pressure to compete with others in displays of our success? This is a book about the social disease of acquisitive desire for material things -corporeal and intangible. The themes covered include what acquisitive desire means in people's lives, how therapists and therapy are treated as possessions, clinical identification and diagnosis of consumer disorders that become the primary or secondary focus of treatment, interventions and clinical issues involved in working with those who suffer the effects of an excessively materialistic lifestyle, and the way therapists, as members of a bourgeois profession, struggle with their own acquisitive desires. Jeffrey A. Kottler seeks not to encourage people to give up all attachment to things, rather to reduce the degree to which we are controlled by them. It is far better when satisfaction comes not from owning things, but using them for fun, stimulation, and learning.

"This book is a fabulous resource that helps both beginning and experienced teachers examine themselves and reflect on their own teaching practices."Michelle Barnea Educational Consultant Realize, refresh, and awaken the passionate, caring, motivated teacher inside! Who was the best teacher you ever had? Can you remember the excitement and joy that this teacher brought to learning? Do you want to be "the best teacher ever" for your students? Understanding yourself and how you relate to others is the first step in becoming the enthusiastic, inspirational teacher to whom students respond best. On Being a Teacher links teaching to the unique human characteristics that each of us possesses. Written with the preservice, beginning, and veteran teacher in mind, the authors help educators discover their own special traits that make them superlative teachers. This newly revised third edition includes the addition of: Research-based teaching strategies Professional development activities An in-depth look at parent-teacher conferences Ideas for getting involved in your school and district to further your professional growth Information on learning styles and multiple intelligences Guides for individual and group reflection This book is ideal for teacher education courses and induction programs and can be used for either individual growth or group study.

"This book is a fabulous resource that helps both beginning and experienced teachers examine themselves and reflect on their own teaching practices."Michelle Barnea Educational Consultant Realize, refresh, and awaken the passionate, caring, motivated teacher inside! Who was the best teacher you ever had? Can you remember the excitement and joy that this teacher brought to learning? Do you want to be "the best teacher ever" for your students? Understanding yourself and how you relate to others is the first step in becoming the enthusiastic, inspirational teacher to whom students respond best. On Being a Teacher links teaching to the unique human characteristics that each of us possesses. Written with the preservice, beginning, and veteran teacher in mind, the authors help educators discover their own special traits that make them superlative teachers. This newly revised third edition includes the addition of: Research-based teaching strategies Professional development activities An in-depth look at parent-teacher conferences Ideas for getting involved in your school and district to further your professional growth Information on learning styles and multiple intelligences Guides for individual and group reflection This book is ideal for teacher education courses and induction programs and can be used for either individual growth or group study.

Updated Edition of Bestseller!Praise for the first edition:

"This handbook for novice and apprentice teachers provides seasoned and insightful counsel."CHOICE, April 1999

Teach like a pro from day one!

In this updated version of the successful Secrets for Secondary School Teachers, you will learn tangible ways to supercharge your teaching skills, while avoiding the pitfalls common to beginning teachers. Offering a unique blend of perspectives and "insider" insights into secondary education, a seasoned high school teacher, a long-time educator and counselor, and a recent high school graduate join forces to impart proven tips and tools.

This indispensable guide combines practical applications of your preservice coursework with straightforward portrayals of what you can expect during your first days, weeks, semesters, and years in the classroom.

Already packed with winning ideas and real-life scenarios, this newest edition has added:

A new chapter on developing plans for instruction and assessment Rubrics—both holistic and analytic A-to-Z list of assessments Expanded information on multiple intelligences and diverse learning populations Suggestions for students with attention deficits Stress source chart Technology tips

Reduce your stress, hone your skills, and be "in the know" with this invaluable resource.

Updated Edition of Bestseller!Praise for the first edition:

"This handbook for novice and apprentice teachers provides seasoned and insightful counsel."CHOICE, April 1999

Teach like a pro from day one!

In this updated version of the successful Secrets for Secondary School Teachers, you will learn tangible ways to supercharge your teaching skills, while avoiding the pitfalls common to beginning teachers. Offering a unique blend of perspectives and "insider" insights into secondary education, a seasoned high school teacher, a long-time educator and counselor, and a recent high school graduate join forces to impart proven tips and tools.

This indispensable guide combines practical applications of your preservice coursework with straightforward portrayals of what you can expect during your first days, weeks, semesters, and years in the classroom.

Already packed with winning ideas and real-life scenarios, this newest edition has added:

A new chapter on developing plans for instruction and assessment Rubrics—both holistic and analytic A-to-Z list of assessments Expanded information on multiple intelligences and diverse learning populations Suggestions for students with attention deficits Stress source chart Technology tips

Reduce your stress, hone your skills, and be "in the know" with this invaluable resource.

The Heart of Healing is a comprehensive exploration of the essence of healing in human relationships--whether between a shaman and tribesmember, between clergy and parishoner, or a therapist and client--that pushes beyond traditional and limiting theoretical models toward a deeper, broader understanding of how to harness, enhance, and apply this powerful phenonmenon to achieve its fullest potential in diverse clinical settings. Drawing on cross-cultural and interdisciplinary empirical research and numerous revealing case studies from their own therapy practices, the authors present a variety of innovative models for understanding and fostering relationships with clients that engender constructive change--and that can be used regardless of theoretical orientation, cultural background, or clinical setting. Pulling together the essential threads that weave the intricate fabric of the client-therapist relationship, they examine through first-hand accounts how the personal relationships, characteristics, and cultural biases of both the client and therapist affect their interactions during the therapy process, as well as influence relationships in their personal lives. They describe the conceptual building blocks of a healing encounter--including authentic engagement, projected images, and interactional patterns--and show how each of these can promote or impede a healthy and effective relationship.

Despite the prevalence of addiction in our society, we remain remarkably ignorant of the effects of addictive behaviour in classrooms - and unprepared to deal with the consequences. The authors of this book combine their own experiences of family and individual addictions with research to provide an accessible resource for understanding and dealing effectively with addiction. Classrooms Under the Influence provides suggestions for developing a classroom plan for assessing, intervening and preventing inappropriate behaviours for both addicted students and those who live with addicts. Readers are also encouraged to identify ways in which their own addictive behaviours may have a negative impact on the health and productivity of classrooms.

The topic is a critical one. I personally found the book rewarding. I′ve taken another look at my æculture within′ . Harvey B. Alvy, School Administration Program Coordinator Eastern Washington University Helps teachers explore how cultural beliefs and biases - theirs, their colleagues′ and their students′ - affect teaching and learning. Get beyond the "public words" people use about your school′s diverse population - and learn to deal with everyone′s real feelings. Gives all educators the tools they need to introduce a spirit of compassion into their school or classrooms. Offers workable strategies to help educators: * Talk about prejudice and racism in class * Recruit positive community role models for students * Invite students to research and share their own worldviews * Help marginal students feel competent and valued * Involve students′ families Find out how to create a "shared culture" for your students and build a real sense of community in your school.

Tune in to potential problems with students, parents, and staff. Recognize behaviors or situations that signal a need for help, and then determine the level of intervention needed. Build your skills in counseling ineffective teachers and dealing with troubled parents.

Mental health professionals spend their days helping others, but who is there to help them when stress and burnout threaten their own well-being? Filled with self-assessments, journaling exercises, and activities designed to facilitate renewal, growth, and change, this timely book helps clinicians help themselves with coverage of career threatening issues, such as fear of failure, loss of confidence, and the financial stress and loss of autonomy that many clinician's experience as a result of managed care and its constraints.

Learn from master therapists and bring your skills to the next level Bringing a breath of fresh air to the therapy profession, this compelling and thoughtful resource urges readers to move from competency to full mastery in the mental health field. Combining the findings of hundreds of previous studies, interviews with a wide range of master therapists, own unique experiences and perspectives, Jeffery A. Kottler and Jon Carlson have devised a guide that takes therapists out of their comfort zones.Professionals in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work, and human services, as well as graduate students studying for these professions, will find a level of honesty and candor in this resource, which tackles a range of essential topics in a frank, personal tone, and closes with a meaningful discussion about the challenges of striving for mastery. Master therapists and authors Kottler and Carlson explore a range of hot-button topics, such as: Cultural misunderstandingsDisliking your clients (or having clients dislike you)Receiving negative feedback from clientsInjecting creativity into the therapeutic processFinding time for social justice and advocacyOn Being a Master Therapist provides a much-needed look at a range of topics that aren't often given such genuine and insightful treatment, with the goal of helping you attain the attributes that truly distinguish excellence in clinical practice. Start on your journey toward mastery with this thoughtful resource.

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.

"Relationship building is key to the successful mentoring and teaching of today′s youth. This book is an indispensable reference for both students in teacher education programs and experienced classroom teachers."—David Capuzzi, Scholar in Residence, Counseling and Human Services, Johns Hopkins UniversityIntegrate counseling and consulting skills into your daily teaching roles!By necessity, today′s teachers do much more than deliver instruction. In the classroom, on the playground, or even in the parking lot, teachers are often called upon to respond quickly and appropriately to students′ social and emotional needs, drawing from instinct more than anything else.In this second edition of the bestselling Counseling Skills for Teachers, Jeffrey and Ellen Kottler expertly guide preservice and inservice teachers to be effective helpers in the context of today′s most common challenges, highlighting issues related to homelessness, grief and loss, and bullying and harassment.The book also discusses:Responding to a range of behaviors in formal and informal school settingsBuilding a culture of tolerance and respect in the classroomMotivating disengaged studentsCommunicating effectively with counseling professionals and parentsWith an entirely new chapter on "Counseling Yourself," the book offers teachers surefire techniques for taking better care of themselves and the students in their schools.

Qualitative Journeys: Student and Mentor Experiences with Research takes a fresh approach to teaching qualitative research. Authors Victor Minichiello and Jeffrey Kottler share stories of student qualitative research experiences that reveal the struggles, the joys, the discoveries, and the surprises that take place during the qualitative research journey. By studying examples of student research (including obstacles and how they were overcome), readers learn through the real-life experiences of other students. Throughout the textbook, the authors offer pragmatic guidance for what works and what does not work, along with suggested solutions. Features and Benefits

Provides the nuts and bolts of qualitative research in Part I Includes a dozen "qualitative journeys," narratives that tell the story of research studies, how they evolved, what was involved, and how they were conceived and conducted Focuses on research from the perspective of student experiences and demonstrates the partnership between students and their mentors Includes domestic and international examples of qualitative studies and real-life stories that convey the excitement and meaning of research Considers the lessons learned and the main themes derived from all the qualitative journeys

Qualitative Journeys: Student and Mentor Experiences with Research is appropriate for use as a supplement or core text for courses in Qualitative Research, Counseling Research Methods, or Social Work Research Methods.

Qualitative Journeys: Student and Mentor Experiences with Research takes a fresh approach to teaching qualitative research. Authors Victor Minichiello and Jeffrey Kottler share stories of student qualitative research experiences that reveal the struggles, the joys, the discoveries, and the surprises that take place during the qualitative research journey. By studying examples of student research (including obstacles and how they were overcome), readers learn through the real-life experiences of other students. Throughout the textbook, the authors offer pragmatic guidance for what works and what does not work, along with suggested solutions. Features and Benefits

Provides the nuts and bolts of qualitative research in Part I Includes a dozen "qualitative journeys," narratives that tell the story of research studies, how they evolved, what was involved, and how they were conceived and conducted Focuses on research from the perspective of student experiences and demonstrates the partnership between students and their mentors Includes domestic and international examples of qualitative studies and real-life stories that convey the excitement and meaning of research Considers the lessons learned and the main themes derived from all the qualitative journeys

Qualitative Journeys: Student and Mentor Experiences with Research is appropriate for use as a supplement or core text for courses in Qualitative Research, Counseling Research Methods, or Social Work Research Methods.