A Brief Primer of Helping Skills

Jeffrey A. Kottler is one of the most prolific authors in the fields of counseling, psychotherapy, and education, having written more than 90 books about a wide range of subjects. He has authored a dozen texts for counselors and therapists that are used in universities around the world and a dozen books each for practicing therapists and educators. Some of his most highly regarded works include Creative Breakthroughs in Therapy, The Mummy at the Dining Room Table: Eminent Therapists Reveal Their Most Unusual Cases and What They Teach Us About Human Behavior, Bad Therapy, The Client Who Changed Me, Divine Madness, Change: What Leads to Personal Transformation, Stories We’ve Heard, Stories We’ve Told: Life-Changing Narratives in Therapy and Everyday Life, and Therapy Over 50. He has been an educator for 40 years, having worked as a teacher, counselor, and therapist in preschool, middle school, mental health center, crisis center, nongovernmental organization, university, community college, private practice, and disaster relief settings. He has served as a Fulbright scholar and senior lecturer in Peru and Iceland, as well as worked as a visiting professor in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Nepal. He is professor of counseling at California State University, Fullerton.

• PrefaceCh 1: Learning Helping SkillsWhy be a Helper?Changes in the FieldA Daunting JourneyMaking a DifferencePersonal QualitiesTake Some AdviceFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFurther ReadingCh 2: Theories of HelpingInternalizing TheoriesWhat Theories Can Do For YouTheories You Should Know AboutConclusions About TheoryFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 3: Processes and StagesStages of HelpingStage I: PretreatmentStage II: ExplorationStage III: InsightStage IV: ActionStave V: EvaluationClosure IssuesFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 4: Helping RelationshipsReflect BackUses of the Helping RelationshipCustomized RelationshipsBasically SpeakingPractical IssuesGetting the Relationship StartedFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 5: Exploration SkillsInternal AttitudesAttending BehaviorsPractice Makes PerfectPresenting YourselfListeningTime to PracticeEliciting InformationAsking QuestionsAssessing Strengths and ResourcesFormulating DiagnosesAssessing RiskResponding to ContentResponding to FeelingsTry It OutFacing SilenceEstablishing GoalsMaking the Transition to ActionFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 6: Action SkillsA Check-off ListWays of Taking ActionPlanning an InterventionContracting for ChangeConfrontationTeaching People to Think DifferentlyConstructing Alternative StoriesRole-playing and RehearsalBehavioral InterventionsGiving FeedbackUsing ImageryDealing With ResistanceEmploying AdjunctsWhen You Don′t Have Enough TimeFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 7: Brief InterventionsSome Cautionary AdvicePrinciples of Brief InterventionA Different Way of Thinking About ChangeAn Abbreviated ProcessReframing ProblemsLook for ExceptionsFind Out What WorksMiracle QuestionA Single SessionCrisis InterventionChoose Your Method CarefullyFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 8: Leading GroupsDifferences Between Group and Individual SessionsSome Advantages and DisadvantagesWork With a Co-leaderWhen to Intervene in GroupsPractical Considerations in Running a GroupFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingCh 9: Looking at YourselfPracticing What You PreachMaking Helping a LifestyleEthical IssuesGetting the Most From SupervisionJoys of HelpingFor ReviewFor Reflection and PracticeFor Further ReadingIndex