psychotherapy – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Active Listening by Carl Rogers

By Scott J. Pearson | January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

This short book, originally penned in 1957, addresses an important topic that’s become an expected leadership competency today. Active listening is a core expectation for managers in almost every field. Although it sounds easy to do, the practice actually requires a great deal of discipline and mental acuity. Fortunately, by encouraging the self-worth of the speaker, it unleashes a world of creative energy that can multiply any team’s accomplishments. As the authors contend, it simply…

Fires in the Dark: Healing the Unquiet Mind

By Scott J. Pearson | August 25, 2023August 25, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Kay Redfield Jamison is a well-known psychotherapist at Johns Hopkins who herself famously suffers from bipolar disorder. In 1996, she wrote eloquently about her journey in An Unquiet Mind. In this book, she posits the idea that to be most effective, healers – the doctors, counselors, and leaders – need to be healed themselves. To support her argument, she provides life narratives of many such eminent people, with a focus on the early-to-mid twentieth century.…