Help for the Helper: The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma (Norton Professional Books)

"I read Help for the Helper cover to cover as soon as it arrived and all I can say is WOW and THANK YOU!! This is a book that addresses the needs of helping professionals--all sorts! Babette Rothschild begins the book with a preface on "Common Sense;" something we all need for taking care of ourselves (and our clients, for that matter). She's become a kind of champion of Common Sense in psychology and I'm glad to see her apply this important life-tool to the self-care of professionals. Her three central chapters begin with theory of neurophysiology: on Empathy, Arousal and Clear Thinking. She then goes on to outline things we can easily do to combat the consequences of our work and avoid burnout, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Though the book examples are pointed to psychotherapists, the theory and the exercises will be useful to anyone (like me) in the helping professions. One thing that stands out is that she underscores us each finding the tools that help us best. She offers expert advice without having to be "the" expert. Consistent with her advocacy of common sense, she knows that each professional has to find his or her optimal combination of resources. For those who are interested in neurophysiology, this book covers cutting edge theories and research, including the recent discovery of mirror neurons. For the psychotherapist, sections on countertransference and projective identification offer a fresh view on these core concepts. I believe that anyone in the helping professions, including those who pitch in following disasters, will find this book to be a huge help for their own well-being."
~ Written on 2006-03-23