Archives: Authors

Primarily specializing in working with children, parents, and families, John is author or coauthor of over 50 professional publications and nine books. Some of his latest books, co-written with his wife Rita, include How to Listen so Parents will Talk and Talk so Parents will Listen (John Wiley & Sons, 2011) and Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories in Context and Practice (2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2012), Clinical Interviewing (5th ed., Wiley, 2014), and Tough Kids, Cool Counseling (2nd ed., ACA, 2007). In his wild and precious spare time, John loves to run (slowly), dance (poorly), laugh (loudly) and produce home-made family music videos.

Rita Sommers-Flanagan, PhD, has been a professor of counselor education at the University of Montana for over two decades. She is a clinical psychologist and has served as a mental health consultant for the Vet Center in Missoula Montana. She is also on the Executive Board of the faculty union, and very involved in the issues facing academia and higher education.

Rita has published text books, professional articles, books chapters, and poems. Some of these include an ethics text, a book for parents facing divorce, and other works co-authored with her husband, John Sommers-Flanagan. She has particular interests in feminist theory and therapy, as well as professional and applied ethics. In her spare time, she works on alternative energy projects, writing fiction, gardening, jogging, and being grateful for all the wonders and joys that life entails.

Joi Latson, Psy.D. is a practicing clinician at Find Your Inner Joi, LLC, where she works with clients of all ages, especially those who have experienced trauma, loss, depression and anxiety. Dr. Latson’s goal is to create a space in which clients can work from a position of trust as they move through their healing journeys. 

Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD (1945-2017) was the distinguished professor of psychology and counseling at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois. He was the author of 40 books, 150 journal articles, and the developer of over 200 videos featuring today's leading experts in the fields of psychotherapy, family therapy, brief therapy, substance abuse and treatment, parenting and couples education. Carlson received the distinguished Services awards from the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, and the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. He was named one of five "Living Legends in Counseling" in 2004 by the American Counseling Association.

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Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the founding director of its renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in various venues around the world. He received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT in 1971 in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate, Salvador Luria.

He is the author of numerous scientific papers on the clinical applications of mindfulness in medicine and health care, and of a number of books for the lay public: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness (Delta, 1991); Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life (Hyperion, 1994); Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2005); and Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness (Hyperion, 2007). He is also co-author, with his wife Myla, of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting (Hyperion, 1997); and with Williams, Teasdale, and Segal, of The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Guilford, 2007).

See all Jon Kabat-Zinn videos.

Jose Rey, MS, PharmD, BCPP is a professor of pharmacy practice at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Pharmacy, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is currently the clinical psychopharmacologist at South Florida State Hospital. Dr. Rey’s research interests include cosmetic neuropsychopharmacology, geropsychiatry, psychotropic polypharmacy, pain management with non-opioids, communication disorders, and clinical and pharmacokinetic outcomes research with antipsychotics and antidepressants. Dr. Ray has over 50 publications in the area of psychopharmacology and teaches courses in psychopharmacology at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. He is director of the fully accredited ASHP residency in psychiatric pharmacy practice and psychopharmacology at nova Southeastern, and his board-certified in psychiatric pharmacy.

Joseph Burgo, PhD, has practiced psychotherapy for more than 30 years, holding licenses as a marriage and family therapist and clinical psychologist. He is the author of several popular clinical books including Shame: Free Yourself, Find Joy and Build True Self-Esteem (St. Martin’s Press, 2018), The Narcissist You Know: Defending Yourself Against Extreme Narcissists in an All-About-Me World (Touchstone, September 2015) and Why Do I Do That? Psychological Defense Mechanisms and the Hidden Ways They Shape Our Lives (New Rise Press, 2012). In addition to also writing works of fiction including Grim, Rapunzelmother and Snow White at the Dwarf Colony, Joseph is a regular writer and commentator for news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and NPR. He is the voice behind the Psychology Today blog “Shame.” 

Jeffrey Chernin, PhD, is currently practicing as a psychotherapist in Los Angeles, with 28 years of experience in private practice and community health centers. He has authored 3 books, including his most recent, Achieving Intimacy: How to Have a Loving Relationship that Lasts (available on Amazon), as well as magazine articles on relationships, therapy and mental health. He has taught psychology and counseling courses at Antioch and Chapman Universities and has provided workshops on topics including personal growth, substance abuse, stress management, and grief. To learn more, please visit his website. 

Jeffrey A. Kottler, PhD is Professor of the Department of Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. He has worked as a teacher, counselor, therapist, and researcher in a variety of settings including hospitals, mental health centers, schools, crisis centers, clinics, universities, corporations, and private practice. Dr. Kottler has been a Fulbright Scholar in Iceland and Peru, as well as having lectured extensively around the world. He is also President and Co-Founder of the Empower Nepali Girls Foundation which provides educational scholarships for lower caste girls in rural Nepal who would otherwise be unable to attend school.

Dr. Kottler has authored 80 books in psychology, education, and counseling. His books are directed towards a number of different audiences: 1) for practicing therapists and counselors about the inner world of helping others; 2) for teachers and educators about the human dimensions of helping; and 3) for students in education and helping professions. Kottler is also known for his provocative books about contemporary issues and human struggles, such as the forbidden world of what people do when they're alone, the phenomenon of crying and what it means in people's lives, the inner world of murder and the reasons why people are vicariously attracted to violence.

Some of Dr. Kottler's books for therapists include: On Being a Therapist, The Imperfect Therapist: Learning From Failure in Therapeutic Practice, Compassionate Therapy: Working With Difficult Clients, and The Assassin and the Therapist: An exploration of Truth in Psychotherapy and in Life.