Description
Book SynopsisHow do you develop a truly rich and rewarding career in psychotherapy? How can you find joy in such painful work? How do you develop your skills in the field? How can you conquer your creative inhibitions? In short, how do you flourish as a psychotherapist?
Brett Kahr answers these questions, and so many more, in his brilliant new book, painting a frank portrait of the life of the psychotherapist.
Taking the reader through the life cycle of the therapist, Brett offers lots of practical advice, from assessing one’s suitability for the career, to managing one’s finances, to preparing for death. His clear voice and style shine through in this authentic, readable narrative. Professor Kahr has produced a must-read, gripping account of how you can thrive in every respect in this complex and rewarding career.
How to Flourish as a Psychotherapist should be required reading for every therapist, anyone considering taking up the career, and everyone who has ever wondered what kind of person becomes a therapist. This is a truly original work that should become compulsory reading by all in the field.
Trade ReviewI found myself responding with enjoyment and gratitude to this book… Kahr is happy to share all he has learned the long way… [and] has a very serious point to make about the importance of deriving ‘deep delight’ from our work.
-- Isobel Todd, Psychodynamic Counsellor * Sussex Counselling & Psychotherapy News, Spring 2019 *
I recommend it not only to students and prospective students but to therapists at whatever stage of their career they may be. You’ll find plenty of solid evidence and inspiration to deepen and expand your practice, indeed your life.
-- Dr David Van Nuys * Shrink Rap Radio *
The book seems aimed at traditional psychoanalytic psychotherapists but its wisdom applies much more widely.
-- Roslyn Byfield MBACP (Accred), psychodynamic counsellor in private practice * ‘Private Practice’, June 2019 *
‘This is an impressive and easy read (because it is well written and interesting) – a cradle-to-grave guide to building a successful practice – about not just surviving but “flourishing”. The book tackles all the stages of a career in psychotherapy, from choosing the most suitable course to what to do when you’re approaching retirement, and deals with real-life issues such as the envy of colleagues and back pain.’
-- Martin Pollecoff, psychotherapist and UKCP chair * New Psychotherapist *
‘… this detailed and candid book … provides the reader with a comprehensive and revealing description of how to build and maintain a successful psychotherapy practice. … In lively conversational style he offers fascinating and humorous scenarios and anecdotes from different stages of his career.’
-- Caroline Hallett * British Journal of Psychotherapy, 35 (2019): 655-657 *
'This is an impressive and easy read (because it is well written and interesting) – a cradle-to-grave guide to building a successful practice – about not just surviving but ‘flourishing’. [...] Not only did I invite Brett to join us, I bought a second copy of his book for a friend who is considering following this career path. So, think on this – greater love hath no man for a book he is reviewing than to buy two copies using money from his own pocket.'
-- Martin Pollecoff, psychotherapist and UKCP chair, 'New Psychotherapist', Spring 2019
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION
Survival may not be enough
Part One
Building a Secure Base
CHAPTER ONE
A Noble, Complicated Passion
Mouthwash for the Mind
Zyklon B Gas in the Consulting Room
Friends with Oesophageal Cancer and Vascular Dementia
CHAPTER TWO
Assessing One’s Own Sanity
The Perfect Candidate
Pathological Motivations
Can We Afford to Train?
CHAPTER THREE
On Marrying a Library
Bibliophilia Psychotherapeutica
Curling Up with Sigmund Freud
My Three Favourite Reading Rooms
CHAPTER FOUR
The Joys and Pitfalls of Training
A Child in a Sweet Shop
Exhausted, Frazzled, and Scrutinised
Legitimate at Last
CHAPTER FIVE
Cultivating Brilliant Mentors
Dis-identifying from Disappointing Tutors
A Most Inspiring Lecturer from Mendoza
A Great Teacher Under Whom I Never Studied
Part Two
The Art of Prospering
CHAPTER SIX
Perpetual Pupils
Training Never Ends
How to Be a Medieval Monk
Swimming in Organisations
CHAPTER SEVEN
Attracting Referrals
The Art of Advertising
My Last 500 Patients
Answering the Telephone
CHAPTER EIGHT
Managing Money
Under-Charging and Over-Charging
Collecting Fees
Financial Planning for the Future
CHAPTER NINE
The Promotion of Expertise
Flagrant Exhibitionism or Neurotic Inhibitionism?
Generativity versus Stagnation
On Stage at the Royal Opera House
CHAPTER TEN
Patients as Persecutors and as Privileges
The Prevention of Burn-Out
Hate in the Countertransference
Delightful, Honourable People
Part Three
Thriving Beyond the Consulting Room
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nourishing Fledgling Colleagues
Enlivening the Classroom
On Being a Clinical Supervisor
A Little Drink After Work
CHAPTER TWELVE
Public Lecturing
My Very First Paper
The Length of the Applause
Addressing the United Nations
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Daring to Research
The Humiliation of Edward Glover
A Search for the Traumatic Origins of Psychosis
Sexual Fantasies at the Dinner Table
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Writing Articles and Books
The Agony of 300 Words and the Ease of 300,000
Publishing as a Relational Experience
“Not Another Book on Projective Identification”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blue-Sky Projects
Freud Thinks Big
A Bestseller and a Serial Killer
Psychotherapists in Prison and in the Middle East
Part Four
Surviving Success
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Avoiding Isolation
The Need for Solitude
Beware the Ethics Committee
Choosing the Best Dinner Parties
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Navigating Envy
Winnicott’s Mutterings in Geneva
Thank God I’m Overweight
On Being Provocative
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nurturing the Ageing Spine
The Ultimate Narcissistic Injury
The Ten-Minute Gymnasium
Lounging on the Beach
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Embracing Idiosyncrasy
Conquering Creative Entanglements
Mourning Unfulfilled Dreams
The Maverick in Mental Health
CHAPTER TWENTY
Preparing for Death
The Appointment of Clinical Executors
How to Retire Properly
On the Shaping of a Legacy
EPILOGUE
My Parting Thoughts
Acknowledgements
About the author
References
Index
