Mastering the Inner Skills of Psychotherapy: A Deliberate Practice Manual on Building Psychological Capacity

by Tony Rousmaniere PhD, Joel Jin

Overview

Now in its second edition, this concise volume helps therapists develop the resilience and flexibility they need to deliver effective therapy.

Clients who are provocative, angry, shut down, or emotionally labile often arouse strong emotional responses in therapists. Without proper training and practice, these experiences can make it difficult for therapists to stay self-aware, attuned, and clinically flexible.

Founded on the principles of deliberate practice, this book presents a clear and concise training plan to help readers identify, develop, and master the inner skills necessary to be effective therapists. Authors Tony Rousmaniere and Joel Jin explain the theory and value of deliberate practice and guide readers through six experiential exercises to help them build psychological capacity. Readers select their own materials for exposure, ranging from movie clips to videotaped therapy sessions, and learn techniques to navigate their emotional reactions.

This second edition includes a new chapter for course instructors, extended and updated research, and expanded clinical resources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433845000
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	02/24/2026
Edition description:	Second
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD, is the program director of the Sentio Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program and the executive director of the Sentio Counseling Center. He has authored many books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training and is coeditor of the APA book series The Essentials of Deliberate Practice. In 2017, Dr. Rousmaniere published the widely cited article in The Atlantic Monthly, “What Your Therapist Doesn’t Know.” Dr. Rousmaniere supports the open-data movement and publishes clinical outcome data at drtonyr.com. He is president of Division 29 of the American Psychological Association.

Joel Jin, PhD, is acting assistant professor at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, where he trains family medicine residents in behavioral health skills. He has also trained PhD clinical psychology students in alliance-building, clinical interviewing, experiential dynamic therapy, and attachment-based family therapy at Seattle Pacific University. Dr. Jin is an author of Deliberate Practice in Multicultural Therapy and has published on deliberate practice in the journals Training and Education in Professional Psychology and Practice Innovations. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington. Visit joeljin.com to learn more.

Table of Contents

Prologue to the 2nd Edition
Introduction: Building Therapists’ Psychological Capacity
Part I. Foundations of Deliberate Practice in Psychotherapy
Chapter 1. A Case Example
Chapter 2. What Is Psychological Capacity?
Chapter 3. Effective Stimuli for Deliberate Practice
Chapter 4. Principles of Building Psychological Capacity
Chapter 5. Training Safely
Part II. Deliberate Practice Exercises for Inner Skills
Exercise 1. Noticing Discomfort
Exercise 2. Redirecting Inner Attention
Exercise 3. Noticing Discomfort While Staying Engaged
Part III. Advanced Deliberate Practice Exercises for Inner Skills
Exercise 4. Getting Back into Capacity
Exercise 5. Expanding Psychological Capacity Using Interval Training
Exercise 6. Customizing Your Deliberate Practice
Part IV. Training Strategy
Chapter 6. Tracking Progress
Chapter 7. Overcoming Common Challenges
Chapter 8. Growing Personally as a Therapist
Chapter 9. Teaching Deliberate Practice in Your Courses
Afterword: Looking Forward
References
Appendix A. Recommended Reading on Deliberate Practice
Appendix B. Self-Regulation Techniques
Appendix C. Deliberate Practice Exercise Form
Appendix D. Sample Videos
Appendix E. Customizing DP Exercises Form
About the Authors