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Sheldon B. Kopp

Sheldon Bernard Kopp was a psychotherapist and author. Born in New York City, he worked in Washington, D.C. for 35 years and lived in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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Sheldon Kopp
Born
Sheldon Bernard Kopp

(1929-03-29)March 29, 1929
New York City, US
DiedMarch 29, 1999(1999-03-29) (aged 70)
Washington, DC, US1
Alma materBrooklyn College
The New School (PhD)
Spouse
Marjorie Ice Kopp
​
(m. 1953)​
1
Children31
Scientific career
FieldsPsychotherapy
ThesisDeductive reasoning in paranoid schizophrenics (1960)

Sheldon Bernard Kopp (29 March 1929 – 29 March 1999) was a psychotherapist and author. Born in New York City, he worked in Washington, D.C. for 35 years and lived in Silver Spring, Maryland.12

Education

Kopp graduated from Brooklyn College in 19511 and received a PhD in 1960 for research on deductive reasoning in patients with schizophrenia completed at the The New School.3

Career

In addition to his private practice, he served as a psychotherapy supervisor for the pastoral counselling and consultation centres in Washington D.C.4

Published books

Kopp was a prolific author, and wrote 17 books, mostly on self-esteem1 including:

  • Guru: Metaphors from a Psychotherapist5
  • If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!6
  • The Hanged Man7
  • No Hidden Meanings8
  • Naked Therapist9
  • Back to One: A Practical Guide for Psychotherapists10
  • This Side of Tragedy: Psychotherapy as Theater11
  • An End to Innocence: Facing Life without Illusions12
  • What Took You so Long: An Assortment of Life's Everyday Ironies13
  • Mirror, Mask, and Shadow: The Risk and Rewards of Self-acceptance14
  • The Pickpocket and the Saint: Free Play of the Imagination15
  • Even a stone can be a teacher16
  • Here I am, Wasn't I! The Inevitable Disruption of Easy Times17
  • Who Am I Really?18
  • Raise Your Right Hand against Fear: Extend the Other in Compassion19
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors: Understanding the Paradoxes of Personal Power and Taking Charge of Our Lives20
  • All God's Children Are Lost, but Only a Few Can Play the Piano: Finding a Life That Is Truly Your Own 21
  • Blues ain't nothing but a good soul feeling bad22

Personal life

Kopp died of cardiac arrhythmia and pneumonia.1


References

References

  1. Saxon, Wolfgang (1999). "Sheldon Kopp, 70, Psychologist Who Wrote About Self-Esteem". nytimes.com. New York, New York: New York Times.
  2. Sheldon Kopp's Eschatological Laundry List hawaii.edu
  3. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1960). Deductive reasoning in paranoid schizophrenics (PhD thesis). The New School. OCLC 81895457. ProQuest 301861625.
  4. Burkeman, Oliver (2025). Meditations for mortals : four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts. London: Vintage. ISBN 978-1529939538. OCLC 1520033775.
  5. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1971). Guru: Metaphors from a Psychotherapist. Science & Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0025-0.
  6. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1974). If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him! The pilgrimage of psychotherapy patients. Lowe & Brydon (Printers) Ltd. ISBN 0-85969-022-9.
  7. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1974). The Hanged Man. Science & Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0036-6.
  8. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1975). No Hidden Meanings: An Illustrated Eschatological Laundry List. photography by Claire Flanders. Science and Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0043-9.
  9. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1976). Naked Therapist - A Canterbury Tales collection of embarrassing moments from more than a dozen eminent psychotherapists. EdITS. ISBN 0-912736-18-6.
  10. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1977). Back to One: A Practical Guide for Psychotherapists. Science and Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0055-2.
  11. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1977). This Side of Tragedy: Psychotherapy as Theater. Science and Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0050-1.
  12. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1978). An End to Innocence: Facing Life without Illusions. Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-566470-0.
  13. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1979). What Took You so Long: An Assortment of Life's Everyday Ironies. photography by Claire Flanders. Science & Behavior Books. ISBN 0-8314-0056-0.
  14. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1980). Mirror, Mask, and Shadow: The Risk and Rewards of Self-acceptance. Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-566460-3.
  15. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1983). The Pickpocket and the Saint: Free Play of the Imagination. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-23564-8.
  16. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1985). Even a stone can be a teacher. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-87477-341-5.
  17. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1986). Here I am, Wasn't I! The Inevitable Disruption of Easy Times. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-25424-3.
  18. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1987). Who Am I Really?. Tarcher. ISBN 0-87477-429-2.
  19. Kopp, Sheldon (1988). Raise Your Right Hand against Fear: Extend the Other in Compassion. CompCare Publishers. ISBN 0-89638-155-2.
  20. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1989). Rock, Paper, Scissors: Understanding the Paradoxes of Personal Power and Taking Charge of Our Lives. CompCare Publications. ISBN 0-89638-193-5.
  21. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1991). All God's Children Are Lost, but Only a Few Can Play the Piano: Finding a Life That Is Truly Your Own. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-13-026881-X.
  22. Kopp, Sheldon Bernard (1992). Blues ain't nothing but a good soul feeling bad. with Bonnie B. Hesse. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-76838-7.