Helping When It Hurts: A Practical Guide to Helping Relationships

Robert Hunter offers practical insight into how to be a friend to someone in crisis. He contends that to focus on change, an emphasis on the future, a respect for people, and faith in God are all crucial in the helping process. Anyone experiencing hurt over a major loss, illness, or injury needs, in his opinion, to hear four key messages: you are not alone; your feelings matter; all is not lost; and you can still help yourself. To this end, he sets out fourteen fundamental skills which the helper can use in effectively communicating these messages to the person in crisis.

Robert L. Hunter is Executive Director of the Center for Family Life Ministries at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.