The Power of Story: A Process of Renewal for Therapists Who Treat Trauma [Paperback]

Bonnie J. Collins (Author), Trina M. Laughlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

A unique self-care strategy for therapists and helping professionals. Providing therapeutic help to someone who has suffered trauma puts the therapist at risk for vicarious traumatization. It can leave the therapist with symptoms of either an acute or a posttraumatic stress response. Therapists are story listeners. One of the primary benefits a therapist provides clients is a safe place to tell their stories and to express their pain, thus diminishing their burden. This often leaves the therapist sharing the burden and the pain. Ms. Collins and Ms. Laughlin have created a process of self-care that helps prevent and alleviate vicarious traumatization. Through the process of story-telling and hearing others' stories, therapists can be relieved of the trauma they have absorbed.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bonnie Collins has been a clinical social worker for 33 years and is currently the Director of a Family Wellness Center where she practices as a family therapist as well as a clinical consultant to other therapists. She is also on the faculty of the Graduate School of Social Work at the State University of New York and received the Outstanding Faculty of the Year award in 2000.

Trina Laughlin is a clinical social worker with over 20 years experience working with women and children who have experienced domestic violence. She was a 1998 recipient of the New York State Dena P. Gold Memorial Award for outstanding work with women and children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Whole Person Associates, Inc. (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570252157
• ISBN-13: 978-1570252150
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,169,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Power of Story, March 29, 2005

By 

Sally K. "Sally K." (Wilmington, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Story: A Process of Renewal for Therapists Who Treat Trauma (Paperback)

This book is a powerful tool for both the therapist and laymen. It is a roadmap to aid in dealing with vicarious stress in our lives. The stories are touching, heartwarming and inspirational. The work done by these two therapists is a testimonial to the importance of caring and dedicated social workers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope and Healing - wonderful book!, July 15, 2005

By 

Kathleen Morgan (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Story: A Process of Renewal for Therapists Who Treat Trauma (Paperback)

This beautifully written collection of stories is a triumph! This is not just chicken soup for the therapist's soul. Through the power of story, these therapists give a message of hope and healing, as well as powerful insights and tools for positive outcomes in therapy. Through subtle nuances in storytelling, they are able to demonstrate powerful and useful recovery tools.

The self-disclosure in these stories has a certain vulnerability that is at once sharply insightful and endearing. The authors are not afraid to risk telling it like it is (or was) in order that the reader may benefit from the truth of the experience.

This book is a soothing salve to ease therapist burnout and revive the hope in a counselor's soul. It also proves a motivator for the client who is not sure if therapy is for them, or is hung up on the "Freud's Couch" (no offense Siggie) method of therapy.

The authors have truly been to the center of human sorrow, and bring renewed faith in everyday miracles.

Kathleen Morgan

Continuing Medical Education, UCLA

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories of Inspiration and Renewal, April 11, 2005

By 

Linda J. Dinger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Story: A Process of Renewal for Therapists Who Treat Trauma (Paperback)

This is a powerful and beautifully written little book that allows us to witness the sacred connections between two therapists and their clients. But, it is so much more. It is an invitation to all of us to be witnesses to the sacredness of the human spirit. It is an invitation to be open to each other in our day-to-day comings and goings. An invitation to "stay still" long enough in our relationships that we are truly present to each other and the wisdom to be given and received.

As a social worker, the stories in this book resonated with my own experiences. The "magic in-between" that is created when a professional and client open their souls to each other and to the "work" is what makes this sacred work such an honor. It is also what makes the work so hard.

Bonnie and Trina capture the "magic in-between" in these powerfully written stories. They have also shared how the stories they listened to left them vulnerable and inspired a personal story. Each story in the book weaves the two sacred stories together into a beautiful "touch stone tapestry", a reminder of why this work is worth it. The third sacred story that will be woven into this tapestry will be the reader's.