The Skilled Helper: A Systematic Approach to Effective Helping (Counseling S.) - Hardcover

"This book contains a cogent and lively presentation of a "generic" problem-solving approach to counseling. It is concretized by many excellent, easily understood examples, which are not only culturally diverse but also up-to-date in terms of world events. The concepts are offered in a logical (yet flexible) manner so that the counseling process can be understood by the students and the counseling skills can be experienced both in the classroom and in the students' personal lives." ." . . Dr. Egan's inclusion of the "darker side" of counseling is an important contribution to a text for beginning therapists. These topics bring a balance and reality to the sometimes overly altruistic aims of those becoming helpers. Dr. Egan explains and illustrates all of the skills that a helper, regardless of training discipline (psychotherapist, minister, nurse), needs to become an effective counselor. This book attacks the topics that can make the helper successful or unsuccessful." "I think that Egan has presented his overview of the model and the skills involved in the counseling process very clearly and convincingly, and his examples illustrate the concepts in a way that deepens our understanding. The sequencing is somewhat different [in this edition], yet flows even more logically, both between chapters and within each one."

Aimed at helpers, this text emphasizes the collaborative nature of the therapist-client relationship and using a practical, three-stage model that drives client problem-managing and opportunity-developing action, leads readers step-by-step through the counselling process, while giving them a feeling for the complexity inherent in any helping relationship. As readers master the various steps of the helping model, they should be able to improve their competence and confidence measurably.