Preface -- Introduction -- Empirical foundations -- Therapist effects, effective therapists, and the law of variability / What characterizes effective therapists? / Who works for whom and why? integrating therapist effects analysis into psychotherapy outcome and process research / Conceptual contributions -- Appropriate responsiveness as a contribution to therapist effects / Therapist presence, absence, and extraordinary presence / Inner experience and the good psychotherapist / The role of therapist́s attachment for process and outcome of psychotherapy / The role of therapist skills in therapist effectiveness / The contributions of client culture to differential therapist effectiveness / Therapist negative reactions : how to transform toxic experiences / Professional expertise in psychotherapy / Gaining therapeutic wisdom and skills from creative others (writers, actors, musicians, and dancers) / Empirical contributions -- Effective therapists in psychodynamic therapy for depression : what interventions are used and how? / Effective and less effective therapists for generalized anxiety disorders : are they conducting therapy the same way? / Something to laugh about : humor as a characteristic of effective therapists / Implications and conclusions -- The implications of therapist effects for routine practice, policy, and training / Therapist effects : integration and conclusions / Index -- About the editors.