• The Gift of Therapy

  • An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients
  • By: Irvin D. Yalom
  • Narrated by: Don Hagen
  • Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,739 ratings)

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The Gift of Therapy  By  cover art

The Gift of Therapy

By: Irvin D. Yalom
Narrated by: Don Hagen
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Publisher's summary

The culmination of master psychiatrist Dr. Irvin D. Yalom's more than 35 years in clinical practice, The Gift of Therapy is a remarkable and essential guidebook that illustrates through real case studies how patients and therapists alike can get the most out of therapy. The best-selling author of Love's Executioner shares his uniquely fresh approach and the valuable insights he has gained - presented as 85 personal and provocative "tips for beginner therapists", including:

  • Let the patient matter to you
  • Acknowledge your errors
  • Create a new therapy for each patient
  • Do home visits
  • (Almost) never make decisions for the patient
  • Freud was not always wrong

A book aimed at enriching the therapeutic process for a new generation of patients and counselors, Yalom's Gift of Therapy is an entertaining, informative, and insightful read for anyone with an interest in the subject.

©2002 Irvin D. Yalom (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Gift of Therapy

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Truly a gift from a master therapist

I completed my MSW/CSW four years ago but just now starting as a clinician, I found this book incredibly helpful due to the author's explanation of the prime factors relevant to productive therapy and his narrative of client cases. He makes a sound case for inserting the therapist's warmth and judicious self disclosure into the therapy. This book gave me so much more than my university practicum supervisors.

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22 people found this helpful

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A game-changing epiphany

This book was assigned to me as a clinical psychology student pursuing my masters degree. I now consider it the single most important text introduced to me in my course of study and traineeship. I feel deep gratitude toward the author for sharing his experience and wisdom so candidly. The content feels to me much like a quality course with a master practitioner. I cannot imagine moving into my profession as a psychotherapist without the gift this book has given me.

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8 people found this helpful

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Great Read!

The therapist's reflection on his session, as well as client input made this book an amazing offering on ways to improve the therapeutic experience for both clients and clinicians. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook and took away items to apply in practice.

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8 people found this helpful

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Must read for every therapist!

I have worked in the field of community mental health for several years in various positions, and I feel like all too often therapists, management, case managers, etc. get overly focused on Numbers and insurance company goals and forget all about the fact that we are people, and we are treating people walking through the door and not numbers. I think this book is a must read for everyone working in a helping profession, especially those of us in community mental health centers.

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6 people found this helpful

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Dr. Yalom never gets old

This is my second time listening to this book, and I realized how much I missed the first time. So many pearls of wisdom. How I wish more therapists were like him!
(This book is a must read for therapists.)

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Wealth of knowledge, great narrator!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Gift of Therapy the most enjoyable?

Years of experience in therapy combined with a great narrator equals a fantastic listen.

Any additional comments?

As a new therapist this book is invaluable in learning how to build a solid therapeutic alliance. Thank You.

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Refreshing to the soul of a graduate intern!

I will revisit this book again. Enjoyed Yalom's informative approach to storytelling and educating the reader.

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4 people found this helpful

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What a gift

What a gift ! I recommend this for all new therapists as well as their supervisors.

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Love Yalom

Wonderful insights for new and seasoned therapists. Definitely a book to revisit over and over! I recommend for anyone interested in the field is psychotherapy.

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Great read for a new clinician.

Many valuable lessons in this book for someone starting their career as a clinical social worker.

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