Hanging by a Twig: Understanding and Counseling Adults with Learning Disabilities and Add

By Carol T. Wren, Carol T. Wren Ph. D., Jay Einhorn Ph. D.

Carol Wren shares compelling stories of adults with LD and ADD, whose own words reveal their anger, depression, and anxiety as they struggle to succeed in work and life. Listen, for instance, to Mary, whose metaphor provides the title of the book: 'In America the philosophy is you've got to do better. Inside, though, there is that fearing, because of that 'Yes, you can, yes, you can.' And you're afraid that you're falling off a ledge on the side of a canyon and you're hanging on to a twig.'

Cognitive and emotional issues often interact in very subtle ways and can affect the LD client's perception, communication, self-esteem, and personality development. These interactions have powerful external consequences as well, including strained family relationships, poor work histories, and the inability to 'read' people and form friendships. LD and ADD can also keep clients from participating meaningfully in talk therapy. Wren's framework encourages readers to listen for LD and ADD in their adult clients.

Successful treatment begins with the psychotherapist's ability to understand a client's experiential world and establish an emotionally healing relationship based on that understanding. Wren's framework of personal stories and information about learning disabilities highlights this experiential world and shows professional readers how to listen for LD and ADD in their adult clients. Jay Einhorn's psychotherapeutic commentary adds specific guidance on treatment, so therapists can recognize their LD clients' cognitive limitations and their compensatory ways of dealing with the world.

People with learning disabilities have complex problems that are often neglected, misdiagnosed, or simply unrecognized. Hanging by a Twig gives psychotherapists and counselors a lens to see beyond the disability and help clients frame more productive, satisfying lives

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393703150
• ISBN13: 9780393703153
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Guide

I enjoyed the contents of this book because it provided my family and me an excellent background for understanding the behavior of LD and ADD patients. Ms. Wren's approach to these diseases is very unique among those in her field. I applaud her work because it is VERY reader friendly and devoid of jargon, which makes it an easy and enjoyable read. I would reccomend this book to anyone pursuing a better understanding of various learning diseases and ADD.