Clients who defy the textbooks challenge therapists to the limits of their abilities, as well as their patience. The author's "rules of engagement" summarize creative, caring and imaginative ways to break through the impasse.

Compassionate Therapy explores the characteristics of difficult clients. Arguing that resistance and conflict can be a constructive force, Kottler shows how practitioners can use these struggles to examine their own abilities, deepen their compassion, and improve therapeutic flexibility and effectiveness.

WHAT MAKES CLIENTS DIFFICULT.
The Nature of Resistance.
Profiles of Difficult Clients.
Calling Clients Names.
In the Eye of the Beholder.
WHEN THE THERAPIST IS DIFFICULT.
When Therapists Sabotage Themselves.
Talking to the Winds.
Games Therapists Play.
SOME VERY DIFFICULT CLIENTS.
In Case I Decide to Kill Myself.
I'm Coming Back Until You Fix Me.
You Can't Make Me Talk.
I Don't Have a Problem He/She Does.
I Already Told You This Before?
Yes, No, Maybe, I Don't Know.
MANAGING DIFFICULT CASES.
Confronting Unresolved Issues.
Thinking Constructively, Feeling Compassionately.
Solidifying Therapeutic Alliances.
Practical Strategies for Resolving Impasses.
Rules of Engagement.