The Assassin and the Therapist An Exploration of Truth in Psychotherapy and in Life

"Kottler construct[s] a startling narrative, which reads as well as any detective story...written with searing honesty. Kottler does not flinch from examining his own part in co-creating a story that may (or may not) be a lie...Kottler has written a story which invites the reader to consider their own practice, and the place in that, not only of falsehood and truth, but the therapist's role in that...For those interested in looking more deeply at the nature of the unconscious play of forces between therapist and client, go to Kottler. The question the reader is left with at the end is this. Is Jacob's story real, or were the two of them complicit in developing a work of fiction? Perhaps we should be asking that of ourselves more often." - Heather Dale, MBACP, The Independent Practitioner

"A great book to spur conversation and discussion among therapists. I would highly recommend it to a peer group, book study group as it has great potential to ignite conversations among professionals...The strength of Kottler's work is that it doesn't give any answers, something that I deeply appreciated. He challenges us to embrace uncertainty and the unknown. The Assassin and the Therapist is a great book exposing the limitations of certainty and managed care in the current mental health field and challenges therapists to confront their own discomfort around embracing uncertainty.The Assassin and the Therapist has constructed a magnificetn ground for exploration among therapists, philosophers and clients alike." - Justin Rock, Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis