The Skilled Helper: A Problem-Management and Opportunity-Development Approach to Helping

by Gerard Egan

Book Overview

THE SKILLED HELPER has taught thousands of students a proven, step-by-step counseling process that leads to increased confidence and competence. Internationally recognized for its successful approach... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0534367313
• ISBN13: 9780534367312
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Brooks Cole
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Interesting...

This book is very interesting, and it can even comes with an exercise book (great for college). It is a little boring sometimes, a bite repetitive.

Helpful

Very practical and good at teaching basic skills in helping. Good for therapy based professions.

life changing

This book is wonderful. It was assigned reading for a course I voluntarily took to improve my professional consulting skills. The book is full of valuable information that is easy to read yet full of depth. With some practice I have made this a regular part of my life, and my relationships both personally and professionaly have improved for it. I think everyone should read this book!

The best book in learning to help people...

Simply the best book in learning ways to help people; based on Carl Rogers and Carkhuff teaching.

The skilled manual

The Skilled Helper is a comprehensive manual for counsellors in helping clients. It highlights the collaborative relationship between the counsellor and client that enables successful counselling. The book intricately works through step by step through Egan's three-stage model. The introduction takes the reader through the history of the model and then addresses whether helping is needed and the problems helpers may come across. It puts to rest what the book is about and what the book is not about, i.e. it is a manual, yet not the total curriculum. It is good in highlighting the need for sensitivity in the cultural sense as well as the flexibility of the model. It goes to great lengths to state that each case is individual and must be treated so. `The helping model, while providing guidance, must remain flexible to the needs of the client. One form of rigidity is to drag clients mechanically through the stages and steps of the model.' The book demonstrates how to achieve respect, genuineness and empathy to make the client feel valued, accepted and prepared to trust the counsellor. That environment will enable the client to explore, understand and take action, the main components within Egan's model. I like the way that Egan highlights all the components of the model in the chapters, explains them in detail, if necessary offering definitions, and then with the aid of case studies, shows how they can be applied, and what results they could produce. For example: `Do not be surprised when clients react strongly to being challenged. In the following example, the helper has just delivered a brief summary of the problem situation to the client and has gently pointed out the self-destructive nature of some of his behaviours. Helper: I'm not sure how all this sounds to you. Client: I thought you were on my side. Now you sound like all the others. And I'm paying you to talk like this to me! Even though the helper was tentative in his challenge, the client still reacts defensively. Here are two different approaches to the client's defensiveness. Helper A: All I've done is summarise what you have been saying about yourself. Let's look at each point and see if this isn't the case. Helper B: So it sounds harsh and unfair to you.... Maybe dumping all this on you is unfair.... Let's back up.' Egan shows us both outcomes Helper A confronts the client and may well lead to an argument, where as Helper B backs up and allows the client space. These sorts of scenarios appear throughout the book. He also offers personal evaluation strategies as well as boxes that highlight questions that need to be asked or addressed in order to help the client. I think that this an excellent book for those in the helping profession. It proves to be a good informative read, and can easily be followed. It is a valuable resource that can easily be referred to.