I believe On Being a Therapist to be one of them. There are some books that pretty much every would-be or practicing therapist ought to read during their tenure as a clinician. If you are already on that path, even if you've been in the field for years, this is a must-read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of pursuing a career in mental health care (it is applicable to a variety of professions including social work but most of the content is specific to one-on-one sessions more indicative of counseling and psychology). This book came at the perfect time in my program, a time where I was being tested by my professors and asked to answer that question 'how much do you really want to be a counselor and what does that title mean to you?' Kottler's book was an indispensable part of my process of defining exactly what being a mental health professional means, in general and on a personal level. But then there is the good! and it is so good, so uplifting and inspiring. As a graduate student in Clinical Counseling I found his commentary to be at times frightening, really challenging me to reflect on the path I've chosen by confronting me with the bad and the ugly. Kottler provides the reader with an honest, raw, uncensored look at being a mental health professional. I've read a lot of psych books in the past 6 years but this was by far the most useful.

There is also increased focus on the therapist's role and responsibility to promote issues of social justice, human rights, and systemic changes within the community and world at large. Consequently, there's a wealth of new information that explores many forbidden subjects that are rarely admitted, much less talked about openly. In this new edition, he explores many of the challenges that therapists face related to increased technology, surprising research, the Internet, advances in theory and technique, as well as stress in the international and global economy, managed care bureaucracy, patients with anxiety and depression from unemployment, dysfunctional families, poor education, poverty, parenting issues, often court mandated.

An updated revision of Jeffrey Kottler's classic book reveals the new realities and inner experiences of therapeutic practice today For more than 25 years On Being a Therapist has inspired generations of mental health professionals to explore the most private and sacred aspects of their work helping others.

Kottler on being a therapist