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Additional Academy Pages: 
Upcoming Book Release & On-Site Signing
by Dr. Linda Elder
Copies Available for Purchase
&
Book Signing at . . .
Peel Museum & Botanical Garden
400 South Walton Boulevard
Bentonville, AR 72712-5705
Book Signing Occurs November 16th from 4:00-4:30 p.m.
The quality of your life depends heavily on the quality of your reasoning. When you reason poorly, you tend to make poor decisions; as a result, you and others around you are likely to suffer unnecessarily, and your mental health is thereby diminished. If you want to achieve mental well-being, you must recognize that your current reasoning is shaping the quality of your life today, and it is your own reasoning that you can control. You cannot change your past experiences, but you can think reasonably about them; you cannot control much that happens around you, but you can control some of it. To take command of your emotional life as a means of achieving happiness and self-fulfillment requires taking command of the reasoning that drives you to do the things you do.
Despite our many advances, humans are still doing a relatively poor job of alleviating the suffering caused by depression, anxiety, and similar tormenting states of mind. Similarly, we have yet to effectively deal with the irritability, defensiveness, irrational anger, and self-justifying behavior, that, regardless of whether they lead to depression or anxiety, keep people from relating intimately with others and developing their innate capacities. And even those who do not experience pervasive negative emotions will yet rarely achieve a self-realizing or self-actualizing state; this requires developing the skills and abilities, and embodying the virtues, of the fairminded critical thinker.
Critical Thinking Therapy introduces a substantive theory of critical thinking to the field of mental health therapy. It details a broad, integrated set of critical thinking tools for use in self-therapy and professional therapy. It is for the individual seeking a more enlightened, more fulfilled, less fearful, and less self-defeating orientation to the world. It is also for those who are aware that they are not now reaching their potential and who seek a self-actualizing frame of mind. To this point, only some of the many tools of critical thinking have made their way into mental health therapies (mainly through cognitive behavioral therapies); this book vastly broadens and deepens the critical thinking concepts and principles explicitly available to therapists. It is therefore recommended for use by therapists with clients, as well as for clients and individuals working alone.
“Who doesn’t want to live a happier life in work, parenting, friendships, finances and all of its dimensions? In Critical Thinking Therapy, Linda Elder blends her extensive theoretical knowledge and teaching experiences to guide readers on new ways to achieve these goals–using explicit tools for better thinking. Her sane advice and easy exercises, if taken seriously, should help pave the way towards better mental well-being and greater self-fulfillment.”
~Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine; named by the APA as one of the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century
“Shout out to anyone interested in self-enquiry, reflection, learning, contemplating, inspiration and growth—whether you are in the healing professions or not!!! Critical Thinking Therapy by Linda Elder is one of those books that can be enjoyed by reading it cover to cover, or through focusing on one section at a time in any order, as one’s inclination leads one to do. This book is written with immense skill and clarity, is beautifully set out, including many activities and exercises that encourage self-awareness and knowledge, with delightful photos and images—this book could be considered by many as a Self-Help Workshop, Nourishment for the Intellect, and in parts—a Spa for the Mind! Incorporating many elements of the pioneering and groundbreaking approach of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, yet primarily focused on presenting Critical Thinking’s unique and particular aspects, elements and emphases, this book can indeed be a significant and powerful contribution to people who choose to create more meaningful and satisfying lives."
~Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis, Psychologist and Coauthor with Albert Ellis of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
“I have often wished there was a ‘magic wand’ that I could wave over the world to help people transition from being mere believers in all forms of nonsense to become effective critical thinkers. Linda Elder’s clear and instructive book is as close to the magic wand as we’re likely to get, a gift for which we can be grateful. Leading readers along the path to develop the profound skills of increasing the quality of our thinking and our mental health, Elder illuminates how to integrate these skills into managing the challenges of living we all inevitably face. Don’t just read this valuable book—study it and discover the many rewards of knowing how to better use your mind’s potential.”
~Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., Psychologist, author of Depression is Contagious and Breaking the Patterns of Depression
“A tour-de-force application of critical thinking to psychotherapy! The human change processes are fraught with mysteries and unpredictability, but the tools in this book ensure those uncertainties are minimized. It presents a strong and important foundation for psychotherapists interested in helping people outside the failed medical and disease model of human distress. A must read!"
~Chuck Ruby, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Smoke and Mirrors: How You Are Being Fooled About Mental Illness—An Insider’s Warning to Consumers; Executive Director, International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry
Dr. Linda Elder
Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and international authority on critical thinking. President and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Critical Thinking, she has taught psychology and critical thinking at the college level, and she has given presentations to more than 50,000 educators and leaders in business, government, and the military.
Dr. Elder is author of Liberating the Mind: Overcoming Sociocentric Thought and Egocentric Tendencies . She has also coauthored four books, including 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living through Critical Thinking and Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life , as well as 24 Thinker's Guides on critical thinking. Concerned with understanding and illuminating the relationship between thinking and affect, and with the barriers to critical thinking, Dr. Elder has placed these issues at the center of her thinking and work.
