A Circle of Friends: Encountering the Caring Voices in Your Life [Paperback]

Robert J. Wicks (Author), Robert M. Hamma (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

In A Circle of Friends two eminent guides explore the psychological and spiritual terrain of friendship...and more. The result is a lovely book. With illuminating examples and inviting exercises for personal reflection, this book serves a wide audience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877935742
• ISBN-13: 978-0877935742
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Self Help

More About the Author

Dr. Robert Wicks received his doctorate in psychology from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. Presently, he is a professor at Loyola University Maryland. In 1994, he was responsible for the psychological debriefing of relief workers evacuated from Rwanda during their bloody civil war. In 2006, he delivered a presentation on self-care at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and Walter Reed Army Hospital to health care professionals responsible for Iraqi war veterans with multiple amputations and severe head injuries. Dr. Wicks is author of numerous books including The Resilient Clinician (OUP, 2008), Overcoming Secondary Stress in Medical and Nursing Practice (OUP, 2006), and the acclaimed best seller, Riding the Dragon: 10 Lessons for Inner Strength in Challenging Times (Sorin Books, 2003). He lives with his wife Michaele in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Spirituality of Friendship, September 24, 2004

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Circle of Friends: Encountering the Caring Voices in Your Life (Paperback)

What role do our friends play in our live sand how can these friends help us to experience God? Noted spiritual writer Robert Wicks and his friend/publisher Robert Hamma attempt to answer this question. The two examine the role of friends in their lives and look at their own professional and personal relationship. They offer four images of friends for us to ponder. They divide friends into four basic categories: the prophet who is able to see our potential and lead us in that direction; the cheerleader who is our strongest supporter; the harasser who can challenge us and lead us in ways we may not wish to go; and the spiritual guide who for most people would be a spouse or closest companion. The book has echoes of the writings of St. Aelred of Rivaeux, though he is not mentioned specifically.

Using this book in a discussion group can be interesting and it can also be used as a model of a retreat with people for all ages. Most of all, this book helps the reader appreciate the people that touch our live sand how we can come to know God through these people.