On Becoming a Counselor: A Basic Guide for Nonprofessional Counselors and Other Helpers - Softcover

Kennedy, Eugene; Charles, Sara C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0824519132 ISBN 13: 9780824519131

Publisher: Crossroad Pub Co, 2001

Synopsis

Psychologist Eugene Kennedy and psychiatrist Sara C. Charles have brought this already popular book up to date with the medical and psychological advances over the past ten years. This book continues to provide counselors with all the essential tools they need to respond to people's problems with intelligence and compassion.

About this title

About the Author

Eugene Kennedy, is an award-winning author, syndicated columnist, and professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University of Chicago.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

(From the preface) The stranger in front of you on the Will Call line at the drugstore may open up and worry to you, "The doctor just changed my medication and I don t understand it, I thought I was getting better...." Or the student who never says much in class may wait in the hallway with a worry she can no longer contain, "I wonder if I could speak to you for a few moments...." The person next to you on the plane may never tell you his name but will tell you his life story, "I thought we were in love, I thought it would last...." Sometimes the professional you consult -- the physician, the lawyer, the architect -- makes you into a consultant. "Sorry I m a little late but my mother called. She has this knack for calling at just the wrong moment...." You may be called up to serve, basic training or not, in the helping army at any moment and in almost any circumstances. You do not select them; they select you, ready or not.

You may never know whether they chose you because you are a member of the clergy, a professor, a nurse, or somebody who reminds them of a favorite relative. Human woe turns, as flowers do to the spring sun, to those nearby who seem capable of offering some understanding and good sense. The first murmurs of emotional pain, often disguised but ever recognizable, are almost always whispered first to such ordinary people.

If such nonprofessionals are the primary resource for our everyday troubles, what can they do to prepare themselves better to respond in such unpredictable circumstances? How can they, without extensive training, improve their ability to tap into the energy of their common sense and human understanding in order to respond effectively to those who come for assistance?

Edition details

• Publisher: Crossroad Pub Co
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0824519132
• ISBN 13: 9780824519131
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 433