I’m Listening

This collection of writings about my experiences as a psychotherapist and teacher first describes some of the childhood circumstances that influenced my becoming a good listener. It then highlights what I learned from two of my professors that influenced my decision me to become a psychologist. The book is primarily intended to serve as a memoir, my legacy for family and friends. It is essentially an account of my work as a psychologist, describing the skills-including careful listening-which I learned to employ with my clients in therapy and with the students I taught. It is intended, not as a textbook, to instruct about therapeutic or teaching methods, but as a description of the techniques I learned along the way to becoming a successful therapist and educator. More than simply emphasizing the importance of listening carefully to what my clients said--as well as what they didn’t say-I hope to convey by my example what behavior must be attended to, what should be encouraged and what values ought to be reinforced in order to meet the needs of those seeking assistance.