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Dec 05, 2008

Matt rated it:

I have the impression that many books on therapy in the self-help section are full of watered-down insight and oft-repeated platitudes,like clever pats on the back repackaged a thousand times before---but this book is nothing like that. Yalom is widely considered a contemporary genius in the field when it comes to group therapy (which he is often credited with formulating for contemporary contexts), and this book, despite his occasional self-indulgences, is a testament to his brilliant self-effa More...

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Jan 28, 2008

jessi lee rated it:

a series or really short (most 2-3 pages) meditations on different aspects of therapy, focusing alot on the therapist's use of their own self & the here-and-now experience of therapy.

i like yalom, and he shares my interest in questions of how to really use yourself & your experience of the client to move therapy. also, he's a really engaging writer, sprinkling the text with interesting examples from his life & practice.

i like to think that people who aren't therapis More...

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Jul 15, 2011

Lily rated it:

This book was excellent even though it's written in a less-than-detailed or fully elaborated way. Usually books like this irritate me because they tend to be a bunch scattered ideas that don't even really go together. However the ideas in this book are consistent.

Because its ideas are shared in brief sketches, it's perfect for reading on a commute or for people who just have a bit of time here and there. I read it out of sequence according to whatever chapters caught my eye. It is d More...

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Oct 25, 2007

Heather rated it:

A professor recommended How Can I Help? to budding social workers, and I'm recommending The Gift of Therapy. It's quite possible that no one in the world can really understand why we do what we do except for others in the profession, and this "open letter" is an excellent resource to remind us to keep on keeping on with a sense of humor and open hearts and minds.

I give it two very solid thumbs up.

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Oct 04, 2011

Juno rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 31, 2011

Sally rated it:

Pushes the boundaries of modern therapy. The man touches his clients! Physically! OMG! Not only that, but he recommends that therapists should allow space between clients to digest and record and not fill every available therapeutic minute chasing another $! How wonderful, that we can still behave like humans in a field where that is what is so often needed. Validation. If therapists can't connect with clients how the hell is therapy supposed to work? Be where the client is. I think tha More...

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Jul 27, 2010

Lacey rated it:

The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients is a great book. A few years ago I had to read pieces of this book for a psychology class and enjoyed those so much that I went out and bought it. Now I've finally read it. Though I no longer want to be a therapist, I found that this book helped me better understand the therapeutic process. This would be a great book for anyone interested in being a therapist, going into therapy, or wanting to just understan More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Carly rated it:

This book, in it's 260 pages has over 80 chapters (none of which are too long). This helped to move the speed along of reading this book, but also allowed Yalom to have very specific chapters.

This book is full of personal experiences and examples from his many years of therapy, and in general is good for a counselor-to-be to read. It is an open letter to incoming counselors, and was recommended by my professors as a 'Must Read' for counseling students.

I will say, how More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Erin rated it:

This is an easy read. Good book for beginners, although I didn't find anything in here to be shocking or groundbreaking. It did help me to reconsider some of my own experiences as a therapist and client, reflect further on my work with clients, take my thinking about the client-therapist relationship to a new place and also validated the importance of doing your own work. Favourite quote:

"...the Stradivarius of psychotherapy practice - the therapist's own self." I also enjoy Yalom's i More...

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May 27, 2008

Catherine rated it:

This book helped me discover my desire to be a therapist and I continue to use it as resource. Yalom gives useful examples of how to manage countertransference and a variety of other dilemmas we frequently encounter.

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Oct 14, 2011

Katja rated it:

My fourth Yalom book, this text was the perfect supplement to my Masters course in Psychology (actually sometimes the uni felt like a supplement to the book!). In an age of “don’t touch your clients” and “don’t let your clients into your life”, comes such advice as “Let your patients matter to you”, “Be transparent” and “Make home visits”. While I wouldn’t agree with everything in this book, it is nonetheless a much-needed antidote to the rigid and restrictive formal training young therapists to More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Shelby rated it:

This is the work, a collection of tales and advice, from a existential psychotherapist. Existential psychotherapy can be a very polarizing field, but none the less, this was a fascinating read. If you want to be a therapist, read this book. If you want to go into therapy, read this book. If you want to know what therapists do, read this book. It will give you a great idea on all counts.

Yalom is an honest and open writer who does his best to prepare others for the the world he lives. More...

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Aug 14, 2007

Christine rated it:

This is my all time favorite of Irvin Yalom's books.

Yalom is probably best known for his Existential Psychotherapy and The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy texts, which are viewed as classics for counseling theory/practice courses. His recent (2002) publication, The Gift of Therapy, is my favorite because he--in a frank, very readable, and knowledgeable way--shares insights about the dynamics of therapeutic change that he has acquired from 45+ years of clinical practice. More...

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Jun 20, 2011

Stephen M rated it:

A conglomeration of ideas on psychotherapy and the therapeutic process. I'm very interested to read more of the actual theory behind his ideas. However, there are a handful of very powerful and moving passages here. Although it is heavy on the technicalities of psychology and frequently references other psychologists/philosophers, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in personal and relational growth in their lives.

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Jul 10, 2011

Patricia rated it:

I just finished reading this book and it's really good! I had to read the first 80 pages for class and I was surprised by how good it was and then I knew I had to finish reading it. For those of you who study Psychology and are feeling a bit unmotivated or a little unsure about what you are studying, please read this book!! You seriously won't regret it! It's a really fast and entertaining read filled with patient examples, interesting facts and stories that will motivate you in the art of Psych More...

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Nov 07, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

From the book:,
"Lastly, it has always struck me as an extraordinary privilege to belong to the vernable and honorable guild of healers. We therapists are part of a tradition reaching back not only to our immediate ancestors, beginning with Freud and Jung and all their ancestors - Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard - but also to Jesus, the Buddha, Plato, Socrates, Galen, Hippocrates, and all the other great religious leaders, philosophers, and physicians who have, since the beginning More...

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Jul 05, 2011

Omri rated it:

This is a pleasant and smooth to read tips-book on psychology. On the one hand it seems to be pretty self contained, on the other it is almost a touch-and-go way of discussing serious psychological/clinical topics. Yalom, as always, write magnificently smooth, and therefore the reading is enjoyable and interesting, although I can't say that the book left as much impression on me as other works of Yalom.

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Jun 14, 2011

Stephany rated it:

Love it. Love it. Love it. As a therapist in training the book is both inspirational and educational. The chapters are short, which fits well into a graduate students spare time. They are written as lessons that Yalom wishes to pass on to the next generation. I love Yalom in general, but this book isn't theory based... therapists of all orientations will get loads from this book.

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Aug 12, 2009

Cyndi rated it:

Yalom writes so well, and this collection of essays is a good quick read. His observations from the therapy room are fleshed out with gleanings from great works of literature and philosophy. Here he defends Freud, criticizes the current over-reliance on brief, solution-focused, and cognitive-behavioral therapies, and challenges therapists to self disclose and use the here and now.

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Sep 07, 2010

Sam rated it:

If you are wary or curious of the therapy room, this is the perfect peek at what should go on behind the closed doors-
I love Yalom’s nudges (more like shoves) to therapists to move towards a humanistic approach with patients (with the emphasis always on maintaining an equal-relationship) which leave you wondering how any other attitude could be appropriate.. Great read and easily digestible insights.

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Mar 28, 2009

Psych rated it:

One of the best books I've read from a well known therapist. He really cares about his patients, he demonstrates that over and over and is able to hold himself steady somehow. I'd be tripping over boundaries left and right...my therapist is somewhat like Irvin Yalom probably why I liked the book so much too. I could relate the material to my situation.

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Feb 05, 2011

matt rated it:

There is a lot to like here as an approachable how-to guide for beginning therapists/counseling students. But, c'mon Irv...we get that you love Camus and Nietzche but can you please write one book in which you don't constantly name drop Important Authors to prove your intellectual prowess? Oh, and where on Axis-II might that behavior belong?

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Jan 27, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

Totally unlike his other collections of therapy-related stories, this is a fairly practical, list-like book of tips for practicing psychotherapists. There aren't as many case studies and much of the advice is boring to a patient or lay person -- how much time to leave between clients, how to take notes on a patient, etc. -- but it's an interesting look into the mind of a therapist.

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Apr 07, 2009

Mike rated it:

Vibrant. Wonderful. Insightful.
Excellent, direct prose. Never dull, if occasionally didactic.
Yalom offers many lessons, not all of which will be applicable to most, but some of which were so spot-on that I couldn't keep from laughing that this book could so immediately help me.

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Jan 14, 2012

Ashleigh rated it:

The Gift of Therapy quickly became one of my most favorite books, even after the first few chapters. I love and appreciate how much Yalom respects his patients, the care he provides to them, his beautiful writing, and his willingness to share his ups and downs as a therapist with newer therapists. This will always be a book I refer back to for inspiration.

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Aug 18, 2010

Betsy rated it:

Full of insightful little tips for therapists. I like the idea of the book - to put all the tips in one place; however, you feel at times that you'd like to hear Yalom elaborate on some things. Not enough space to get it done here. But it is useful nonetheless!

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Feb 24, 2011

Desi rated it:

He's a bit full of himself, but the topics are highly valid and useful. Well explained ideas for therapists to be able to fully grasp his meaning. It mirrored well the things I have been learning and practicing as a begining therapist.

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Jul 28, 2010

Aaron rated it:

So, you want to understand humans better. Yalom condenses a lifetime of experience into easily-read chunks. Difficult not to find lessons here applicable to your own human interactions and self-development.

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Feb 23, 2009

Wendy rated it:

Yalom champions psychodynamic and existential work to young and developing therapists, and gives an excellent critique of the CBT model. He's inspiring, funny, and wise. I wish this book was longer.

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Dec 16, 2009

stephanie rated it:

little bits of things yalom has learned over his many years. it borrows a bit from rilke's letters to a young poet, but not too much. it stands on its own - it doesn't really try to be a conversation. again, yalom's sometimes overwhelming pompousness turns you off, and there are things that i would never practice that he recommends, but generally, he's in favor of healthy therapists, and who can argue with that?

plus, he has such a wide variety of experience, it's kind of just fascin More...

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