1st Edition
The Person of the Therapist Training Model Mastering the Use of Self
The Person of the Therapist Training Model presents a model that prepares therapists to make active and purposeful use of who they are, personally and professionally, in all aspects of the therapeutic process—relationship, assessment and intervention. The authors take a process that seems vague and elusive, the self-of-the-therapist work, and provide a step-by-step description of how to conceptualize, structure, and implement a training program designed to facilitate the creation of effective therapists, who are skilled at using their whole selves in their encounters with clients. This book looks to make conscious and planned use of a therapist’s race, gender, culture, values, life experience, and in particular, personal vulnerabilities and struggles in how he or she relates and works with clients. This evidence-supported resource is ideal for clinicians, supervisors, and training programs.
Biography
Harry J. Aponte, MSW, LCSW, LMFT, HPhD, is a clinical associate professor in the couple and family therapy department at Drexel University.
Karni Kissil, PhD, LMFT, has 20 years of experience as a clinician, working with individuals, couples, and families in diverse practice settings. She is currently in private practice in Florida
"Here is a book that claims ‘personal use of self can be trained, refined and enhanced to make for more effective therapy’ (p12). Intrigued, I found the Person of the Therapist Training model (POTT) had some very interesting things to say about personal development in counsellor training...Here is a course that is firmly embedded and clearly supported by the institution, both in terms of philosophy and finances – a far cry from much personal professional development here in the UK. I recommend the book to course directors and trainers as an example of what might be achieved given such an environment." - Chris Rose, Therapy Today
This outstanding and deeply compassionate book charts new territory through its descriptions of the development of the therapist’s use of self. Clinicians in training as well as those with many years of experience will learn a great deal from its vivid case examples and descriptions of the Person of the Therapist Training Model. Training programs in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, nursing, counseling, etc., will benefit from its step-by-step descriptions of the implementation of the model. I plan to use this book in all of my classes to deepen the experience of my students in developing more meaningful connections with their clients.—Nancy Boyd-Franklin, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University and the author of Black Families in Therapy: Understanding the African American Experience.
Editors Aponte and Kissil have culled a group of contributors to provide a solid amalgamation of the essential principles that constitute the POTT training model. This long awaited text offers clinicians and researchers a treasure trove of concepts and techniques for using their own life experiences in facilitating therapeutic change. This comprehensive work is an essential resource for students as well as seasoned researchers and clinicians.—Frank M. Dattilio, PhD, ABPP, works in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Immediately engaging, the authors whisk readers into the private and intimate world of trainees/supervisees and themselves as they experience POTT step-by-step. They generously give everything needed to implement it professionally, with ample examples of overlaying it on a therapist’s favored approach. This is a rare glimpse into the marrying of the personal and professional that should be a part of every therapist’s training history as they "master" the use of self.—Cheryl L. Storm, PhD, is a couple and family therapy supervision and education consultant in Sunriver, OR.
