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What You Never Learned in Graduate School
Preface

Therapists had every right to expect that what they learned in graduate school would serve them well during a lifetime of service to others. Certainly some theories would be revised; even a few new ones would come to the forefront. Research and practice would continue to evolve, but at least in a form that was remotely recognizable to those who have been in the field for awhile. Who could have ever imagined the kinds of changes that would take place in the last decade or two?

Practicing therapists, and even those currently in graduate school, were not prepared to deal with the new order of things, a world where "managed care" has replaced compassionate healing. There have been shifts not only in the transition of therapy from a profession to a business but also changes in: 1) the ways we do treatment planning, 2) the paradigm shifts from single theory allegiance to broad schools of thought, 3) the prevalence of politically correct beliefs that are officially sanctioned, 4) the call for greater moral responsibility on the part of clinicians, 5) the demands for greater cultural and gender sensitivity, 6) the widespread use of computers and technology, 7) the resurgence of qualitative research methodologies, 8) the increased preference for pills to cure maladies, 9) the increased popularity of short term interventions rather than long term relationships. It is this last change that has been most dramatic, considering that most therapists have been prepared to do a kind of work that is now being called obsolete.

Therapists and counselors are not only struggling to adapt to the changing landscape of the profession, but also to a number of other demands that are directly related to professional and personal success. Graduate school didn't teach us quite a number of critical skills and attitudes that we have to learn on our own, through trial and error, and through an underground network that provided us with useful information, as well as inaccurate gossip. As just a few examples, we were not sufficiently warned: 1) about the negative side effects of being a therapist, 2) that life is not a multiple choice test where there is one right answer, 3) that even with advanced degrees we would still not be taken seriously by our families, nor feel that we know enough to do our jobs, 4) that our feelings of ineptitude and fears of failure would continue to persist, 5) that there are personal reasons we chose to enter this field that we didn't confront, 6) that we take ourselves far too seriously, 7) that the answers to our most important questions are not found in books, 8) that there is a lot of hypocrisy within our ranks and absurdity in what we do, 9) that we will never, ever feel good enough.

Contents of the Book

What You Never Learned in Graduate School is written primarily for three groups: 1) practitioners of social work, psychology, counseling, marital and family therapy, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and other mental health disciplines, 2) advanced students in these professions, 3) intelligent readers who are interested in learning about the inner world of therapy and the changes this field is undergoing.

While this volume satisfies the demands of traditional scholarship, it is written in an unpretentious, accessible style that engages the reader on a personal level. Citations have been held to a minimum in favor of an author's voice that speaks directly to the reader about subjects that have all been ignored. The emphasis throughout the book is on practical applications of ideas to the real world.

The first half of the book is conceptual and provocative in nature, addressing seismic shifts in the field, the limits of professional training, and a review of the most critical areas for which practitioners are not prepared. The second half of the book then deals with a number of practical areas that even experienced therapists are confused about: mastering new conceptual paradigms and cutting edge technology, learning innovative forms of therapy responsive to the marketplace, preparing and delivering speeches and lectures, doing professional presentations, the process of mentoring and supervising therapists, publishing books and articles, dealing with organizational politics, sustaining a private practice, dealing with the media, transforming oneself through travel and risk taking, planning for the future. The focus throughout this book is on themes, issues, and critical areas that were rarely addressed in formal educational experiences.

Jeffrey A. Kottler
Las Vegas, Nevada

Richard Hazler
Athens, Ohio