On Becoming a Counselor, Revised & Updated: A Basic Guide for Nonprofessional Counselors

by Eugene Kennedy, Sara C. Charles, Sara Charles

Book Overview

An indispensable resource for those who may or may not have any psychological or psychiatric training but whose everyday work calls upon them to help stressed and troubled persons. This fourth edition... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824519132
• ISBN13: 9780824519131
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Crossroad Publishing
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Information

This book is an excellent collection of sound ideas and advice for people who find themselves in counseling roles. While the premise of the book is not to teach you how to become a licensed counselor, and it is not specifically addressed to the professional counselor, the book contains detailed information about the counseling process and pitfalls amateurs should avoid.For example, one lesson talks about recognizing our motivation towards serving a given person in need of counseling as a potential "rescue fantasy." That is, as counselors we should evaluate why we are involved in trying to provide counseling. Amazingly, when I analyzed it, much of my efforts to help other people were actually expressions of my own fantsies to "save the world." While the authors do not dismiss our fantasies as valid precursors to helping other people, they do help you put these things into perspective.I highly recommend you read this book if you are interested in helping other people.

Highly recommended!

This thick and information packed tomb of a book is essential for any individual that practices any sort of counseling!As I deal mostly with people in religious circles (I'm Clergy), I have found this book to be one of the best reference materials that I have. In fact, I have shared and bought copies of it for my colleagues to peruse.Highly recommended without any sort of reservation.

Exceptional!

This book is a must-read for anyone who, in their regular work, must deal with people who are troubled, frustrated, depressed or simply in need of a confidant. It is well-written and practical and teaches that one can counsel others without the benefit of extensive training. We each possess skills that enable us to assist others. This book shows us how to tap into and develop skills we already possess. It is a "common sense" approach to counseling. Extraordinary!

Compassionate, Wise, Remarkable

Have you ever been drawn into a book because you felt like the author was writing especially for you? *On Becoming A Counselor* is warm, human and engaging. It is written for ANYONE who, without extensive psychological training, comes in contact with troubled or anxious people. This contact may be in a work setting, or across the back yard fence: the confused, the suffering, the immature who so often look to others for help.Mr. Kennedy writes that most of the counseling today is done, not be trained counselors, but by folks like you and me, who find ourselves "chosen" by another to hear a painful story, like it or not; that troubled individuals intuitively know how to seek out those who will listen. The work is especially helpful because it answers the one essential question: What can we really do for another?From the introduction, Mr. Kennedy writes: "There is no disgrace in not being able to remake people...There is every honor, however, in helping persons move even a few inches closer to self-responsibility, in assisting them to turn in a new a healthier direction in life. The curse of the "amateur" therapists is their determination to change people at all costs, and they frequently blunder, trampling on the sacred places of others' personalities in the process."*Counselor* provides us with the tools we need to respond to other people's problems with compassion and intelligence, and offers advice on how to take care of ourselves in the process. The added bonus is that Mr. Kennedy is a wonderful writer with a gentle sense of humor. The chapter about people who are resistant to help is called, "I Won't Dance, You Can't Make Me."Mr. Kennedy has written several books about Catholicism and he is not afraid to ask the tough questions. Please don't discount his wisdom because he is a religious writer. *Counselor* is both secular and intensely spiritual. Kennedy's humanity and compassion come through every word of his remarkable 433 page book. If you are in any field of counseling, or come across troubled souls, then this book is for you. A real treasure house of wisdom for all of us.

A Tremendous Resource for the "Some-time" Counselor

As someone who often counsels as part of my job, and will be attending an upcoming Stephen Minsitry training, I rediscovered this book on my shelf, and appreciate it even more than on my first "pass-through" years ago. The authors celebrate the thousands (maybe millions) of people who are thrust into counseling roles on a daily basis, so they charge ahead and describe positive actions we can take to make our "supportive counseling" role work to the counselee's advantage. The authors have numerous descriptions of problem behaviors that provide a real reference for the lay person, but the real strength in the book is the care they take in illustrating the relationship between the counselor and counselee. The chapter on "Hard-bought Wisdom" is alone worth the price of the book. I'm glad to see that it is back-ordered; there's hope that it won't permanently be out of print. If you are a part-time counselor, I highly recommend this book.