Len Sperry

The Inner Life of Priests is a landmark exploration of how the categories and practices of psychology are contributing to a new health and vitality in the priesthood. Authors McGlone and Sperry (both nationally-recognized experts on the integration of psychology and spirituality in priestly life), investigate issues and answer questions that concern those invested in the healthy ministry of priests everyone from the people in the pews to those in Church leadership. They include: How has psychology helped us understand both mental and spiritual health of those applying to Catholic seminaries and then serving in priestly ministry? How has it shaped understanding of key issues like affective maturity, cultural competency and even the discipline of celibacy? How has it helped Church leaders better understanding and positively influence clerical culture in seminaries, dioceses, and religious orders?Catholic laity, priests, seminarians, vocation directors, those considering religious and priestly vocations everyone interested in how men serving in this critical ministerial role are identified, formed and supported will welcome this authoritative and positive book.

An administrator known for her innovative on-the-job thinking becomes the target of anonymous rumors about financial mismanagement of her department. The rumors are proven baseless but her boss decides that she can't work with "that woman" anymore and prevents her from attending key meetings. The administrator sees a cardiologist for the first time in her life because of increasing chest pain, and her family doctor prescribes antidepressants "to get her over the hump." The administrator whose identity is interwoven with her job and company is bewildered by what is happening to her at work and says she doesn't know who she is anymore. A middle school student is the target of relentless name-calling and slurs by a group of other kids at school. The slurs include derogatory comments about his sexuality, appearance, and family. The taunting has increased over several months, and many teachers have witnessed it. The student was the subject of a recent conversation in the faculty lounge, where some faculty members said the student needed to "toughen up," while others expressed concern for his well-being. The student's main strategy has been to try and keep away from the group of kids, but he finds himself trusting fewer of his "friends," feeling both angry and sad, and having a hard time concentrating. What features of these two situations are almost identical, and why are they both classic instances of workplace and school mobbing? Mobbing is not the same as bullying, as the authors of this volume explain with cogent analysis of the organizational and contextual frameworks within which mobbing always occurs. From the Salem witch trials to workers trying to do the best they can at work, to kids whose humiliation in school has made the headlines, the authors offer numerous illustrations of mobbing, followed by insightful analyses and discussions of lessons learned. Duffy and Sperry provide a wealth of research to demonstrate the devastating toll that mobbing takes on its victims, their families, and the organizations where it occurs. The authors painstakingly avoid simplistic solutions to mobbing, such as removing the "bad apples," and instead, move the conversation forward by showing how bold and compassionate organizational leadership is required to improve conditions for the benefit of both individuals and their organizations.

Psychotherapists are increasingly expected to incorporate the spiritual as well as the psychological dimension in their professional work. Therapists also are increasingly required to utilize evidence-based practices and demonstrate the effectiveness of their practice. An ever-increasing number of spiritually-oriented psychotherapy books attest to its importance but, unlike these books that primarily focus on the therapist's spiritual awareness, the second edition of Spirituality in Clinical Practice addresses the actual practice of spiritually oriented psychotherapy from the beginning to end.Dr. Len Sperry, master therapist and researcher, emphasizes the therapeutic processes in spiritually oriented psychotherapy with individual chapters on:the therapeutic relationshipassessment and case conceptualizationinterventionevaluation and terminationand culturally and ethically sensitive interventions.The days of training therapists to be spiritually aware and sensitive to client needs are over; therapists are now expected to practice spiritually sensitive psychotherapy in a competent manner from the first session to termination. Dr. Sperry organizes his text around this central focus point and, as in the original edition, continues to provide a concise, theory-based framework for understanding the spiritual dimension. Readers can use this framework as the basis for competently integrating spirituality in an effective, evidence-based psychotherapy practice.

The professional practice of counseling and mental health can often be complex and litigious. While there are many professional ethics textbooks, there are few, if any, supporting resources to assist in mastering basic terminology, or to offer easy access to important legal opinions in everyday practice. The Dictionary of Ethical and Legal Terms and Issues is an invaluable resource for students and practitioners alike who need to navigate that complexity. The book blends ethical, legal, and professional issues along with a dictionary for the mental health professional in one handy volume. An essential resource in any professional library, this book will be of interest to anyone who needs a ready guide to the myriad ethical and legal terms and issues encountered in both training and practice.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy of DSM-IV-TR Personality Disorders is a timely addition to clinical practice, as personality disorders have received steadily increasing attention in recent years and Cognitive Behavior Therapy is now the most widely practiced theoretical orientation. Thoroughly revised from the first edition, the book offers an overview of the field, with significant updates to reflect the most recent advances in CBT in the treatment of personality disorders. Invaluable as both a text and a professional reference, it emphasizes developmental psychopathology and integrative CBT treatment conceptualizations. It provides busy clinicians with the most effective practical clinical strategies - illustrated with compelling case material - that they need to work effectively with personality-disordered individuals.

Family Therapy Techniques briefly reviews the basic theories of marriage and family therapy. It then goes into treatment models designed to facilitate the tailoring of therapy to specific populations and the integration of techniques from what often seems like disparate theories. Based on the assumption that no single approach is the definitive approach for every situation, the book leads students through multiple perspectives. In teaching students to integrate and tailor techniques, this book asks them to take functional methods and approaches from a variety of theoretical approaches, without attempting to reiterate the theoretical issues and research covered in theories courses.

For many mental health professionals, executive and personal coaching represent attractive alternatives to managed care practice. This book provides mental health professionals with a map of the territory of the corporate world and describes in detail the major theoretical coaching models and progressive phases. Sperry addresses both executive coaching and personal coaching, revealing the practical, ethical and legal aspects of beginning and maintaining an active coaching practice.

This book will interest clinicians who have wondered what professional practice would be like in the corporate setting and want to learn more about the psychological and organizational dynamics that 'drive' executive behavior. Based on the premise that leadership effectiveness is a function of both leader productivity and health, this book reviews the latest information and research data and offers case studies to illustrate specific strategies for maximizing executive health. Len Sperry has been consulting to executives and organizations for 30 years and has written numerous articles and several books on executives and workplace dynamics.

Catholic Press Association Award Winner!Both spiritual direction and pastoral counseling tend to be partially responsive to client needs and expectations. Many of the theories underlying the practice of spiritual direction and pastoral counseling are based more on psychology than spirituality. They minimize or exclude character and moral concerns and may even unintentionally foster individualism and spiritual narcissism. Transforming Self and Community offers an approach to spiritual direction and pastoral counseling that is holistic, that integrates spiritual and moral constructs with the psychological and emphasizes all aspects of transformation, including social transformation.The integrative approach inTransforming Self and Community provides psychological, spiritual, and moral perspectives for understanding and assisting individuals with their spiritual journey of development. It describes and illustrates clinically useful guidelines for the practice of spiritual direction and pastoral counseling. It includes case studies as well as figures, tables, and charts that highlight and summarize main text points.Transforming Self and Community is primarily for professionals who practice, teach, or are learning how to do spiritual direction or pastoral counseling. Nevertheless, spiritual seekers, clients, or prospective clients of spiritual direction or pastoral counseling will also find this book enlightening.The book has eight chapters. Chapter 1 surveys and describes trends in the current practice of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Chapter 2 reviews four prominent theories underlying the practice of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 provide detailed review of various constructs in the spiritual, psychological, and moral perspectives as they relate to the practice of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Chapter 6 presents a holistic model which integrates key constructs from the spiritual perspective, the moral perspective, and the perspective dimension in relationship to the outcome dimensions of transformation. Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 illustrate the integrative model in action. Finally, Chapter 9 summarizes the main points of the book and speculates on future developments regarding the theory and practice of spiritual direction and pastoral counseling.Chapters are Spirituality, Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Counseling: Recent Trends, "Theoretical Bases of Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Perspective on Transformation," "Moral Perspective on Transformation," "Psychological Perspective on Transformation," "An Integrative Model of Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Counseling," "An Integrative Approach to Spiritual Direction: A Case Study," "An Integrative Approach to Pastoral Counseling: A Case Study," "Spirituality, Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Counseling: Some Future Prospects."Len Sperry, MD, PhD, is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a professor at Barry University. He has practiced spiritually attuned psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, and spiritual direction for over 30 years and has written more than 30 books including Ministry and Community published by Liturgical Press."

Ministry impairment seems to be increasingly problematic for the Church today. While the minister's personality or character are typically the focus of media attention, impairment is also influenced by organizational dynamics such as the recruitment and promotion policies of the religious organization as well as its culture and structure. Ministry and Community highlights the interplay of personality dynamics and organizational dynamics for eight of the most common forms of ministry impairment and shows how they can be recognized, treated, and prevented.In Ministry and Community Len Sperry looks at the dynamics underlying and supporting narcissistic behavior, sexual abusing behavior, psychopathic behavior, borderline behavior, depressive behavior, obsessive-compulsive behavior, manic-depressive behavior, and passive-aggressive behavior in ministry personnel. He then describes a number of effective strategies that can modify these individual and organizational dynamics.Rather than affix blame on ministers or the Church, this book offers a series of observations on concerns faced by the Church and provides suggestions for addressing these concerns.Ministry and Community also offers a measure of hopefulness about the prospects for professional ministry in the Church. These suggestions include specific criterion for determining fitness for ministry, guidelines for realistically appraising ministry performance, and specific indications and contraindications for psychotherapy and other psychiatric interventions.Chapters are Ministry and Community Today: An Overview," "Narcissistic Behavior in Ministry," "Sexually-Abusing Behavior in Ministry," "Psychopathic Behavior in Ministry," "Borderline Behavior in Ministry," "Manic-Depressive Behavior in Ministry," "Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior in Ministry, "Depressive Behavior in Ministry," "Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Ministry," "From Healing to Wholeness in Ministry and Community," and "Fitness for Ministry: Some Selection Criteria."Len Sperry, MD, PhD, is vice-chair and professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has consulted widely with religious organizations and published some 200 articles and book chapters and 30 books."

Covering a wide range of topics, this collection of original essays deals with the consequences and challenges of our growing aging population on society. It emphasizes aging as a developmental process while addressing the future of the practice of geropsychiatry and geriatric psychotherapy. This book serves as a valuable resource to guide clinical training, practice, and research on aging into the next century and beyond.