THE MYSTIFIED FORTUNE-TELLER
AND OTHER TALES FROM PSYCHOTHERAPY

"These are wonderfully told tales of a listener, knowing and wise observer, and healer -- they are stories that get to the heart of what it is that happens in psychotherapy."
-- Robert Coles, Harvard University.

“This collection of human interest stories is based on Dr. Amada's many years of psychological practice.  The author is willing to share his therapeutic successes, often happily based on good judgment and common sense, as well as his failures from his early years of training.  This candid approach results in anecdotes that may have happy endings or leave us as puzzled as they left the author.  Readers who are curious about the daily encounters of a psychotherapist will be entertained and intrigued by the great variety of anecdotes.”
--Sophie Freud

Synopsis
From the ridiculous to the tragic, you'll find the tales of Amada's treatment of unusual patients fascinating, disturbing, and utterly engrossing.

Publishers Weekly

Nearly 40 cases from the files of California psychotherapist Amada illuminate the broad range of clients' troubles and therapists' dilemmas. What is rare and especially of interest about this collection is its emphasis on those cases that ended in painful "entanglements, perplexities, misjudgments, and human culs-de-sac" that arose between the psychotherapist and his clients. In retrospect, Amada shows, ostensible failures often yield rich insights.
In "A Case of Vandalism," he confesses how his anger at a provocative patient led him to misinterpret a gesture toward relationship. In "The Artful Tantalizer," one of the few successes he portrays, Amada is justifiably proud of a flash of clarity he enjoyed that almost instantly liberated a woman from a longstanding destructive relationship. Sometimes, as in "The Misogynist," the author admits he is not sure why something he said defused a patient's homicidal rage. Another lengthy case ("All in a Day's Work") fascinates with Amada's account not only of the woman client's penchant for abusive men but of his fear of violent retribution by one of the abusers.
Amada practices from a psychodynamic viewpoint, so most of the essays point to childhood experiences at the root of clients' emotional pain. In addition, however, he provides thoughtful glimpses into the self-questioning mind of an experienced psychotherapist, illuminating therapy as a craft rather than as an exact science. (Mar.)

The Power of Negative Thinking:
Coming to Terms with our Forbidden Emotions

“A well-written, easy and entertaining read…humorous and tellingly illustrated”
--Leighton Whitaker, Widener University

Although society encourages us to deny and repress such negative emotions as rage and resentment, psychiatrists know that such denial can lead to a variety of psychological, physical, and social problems.  In this bold book, Gerald Amada reveals how our “forbidden” emotions, if properly understood and accepted, can actually be transformed into behavior that is both personally fulfilling and socially constructive.

Featuring interviews with dedicated activists and public servants, including:

• Barney Frank, Congressman from Massachusetts
• George McGovern, United States Senator from South Dakota, 1963-81 and Democratic presidential candidate in 1972
• Kenneth Gibson, former Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and one of the first black mayors of a major American city
• Barbara Boxer, United States Senator from California, 1993-present.

Brace yourself for the "lighter side"
of the psychotherapy profession

(the hysterical stuff rarely revealed)—as seen through the daily trials and tribulations of one dedicated, albeit frustrated, Dr. Ted Anker, struggling to save his fledgling mental health program on the campus of Malform College, in the face of fierce and stubborn opposition from an authoritarian college administration.

"If you yearn after a frustrating day at work for a totally funny, sarcastic, easy read in which all the indignities of your work situation are described and lambasted, this book is for you."
Sophie Freud, MSW, Ph.D.
Book Review Editor, American Journal of Psychotherapy
Professor Emerita
Granddaughter of Dr. Sigmund Freud.

“This is a well written, fast-paced novel reflective of many of the sociopolitical conditions that facilitate or, perhaps more often, impede the development of effective college and university mental health programs. The narration gives a compellingly vivid personal kind of suspense like that of a good mystery story.”
Leighton Whitaker, Ph.D., ABPP
Editor, Journal of College Student Psychotherapy

“Dr. Amada’s engaging and humorous book is a too realistic, too-familiar rollercoaster ride in the real world of college counseling. It really highlights the challenges facing clinicians to get their campuses to recognize the importance of emotional well-being for academic success. I think this book ought to be required reading for anyone considering going into the mental health field in order to get a picture of what a strange world it is.”
Richard Kadison, M.D.
Chief of Mental Health Service
Harvard University Health Services

MU SHU: A TRUE STORY

The tender, touching "autobiography" of Mu Shu, a Shar-Pei (the wrinkled dog), who lived her life with affection, devotion and a witty sense of humor.  A great gift for adults, children and grandchildren and anyone else who loves dogs.

Biographical Publishing Company

Description:

Readers of this tender, humorous tale will enjoy Mu Shu's lifelong experiences from puppyhood to motherhood, and finally as a wise old Shar-Pei who philosophizes about the meaning of her life. This touching, anthropomorphic tale, augmented by the splendid illustrations of Amy Charron, will make an excellent gift for dog owners of all breeds. Children will be especially delighted by Mu Shu's antics and observations, but adults of all ages will also find in this book many large, yummy biscuits of pleasure. Mu Shu: A True Story is the perfect holiday or birthday gift for anyone who appreciates a good wagging dog tail... or tale. This true tale spans the entire lifetime of Mu Shu, a Shar Pei dog who tells her own story about growing up in a loving home where received acts of kindness from her human family were always returned with very special forms of tail-wagging joy and doggedly loyal companionship.
Mu Shu’s ‘autobiography’ is told with natural simplicity, charm, wit, and large biscuits of dog-wisdom that will assuredly enthrall both adult and child readers. Have you ever wondered how a dog experiences its adoption into a new family, feels about the name it finally receives from its owners, adjusts to the physical surroundings of its new home, relishes the attention it receives on walks, handles a hearty welcome from aged patients in a convalescent hospital, ponders over the honor of having its name placed on a personalized license plate, poses for a dog calendar, deals with dog training classes, attends college (for a day), copes with a nasty spraying by a skunk, and struggles through the birth of its pups? These and other interesting vignettes are told through the observant eyes of Mu Shu, who invites the reader to share her joyful and dignified journey from puppyhood to the very last days of her life.