Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Skilled Helper was mandatory, foundational reading in my early Clinical Psychology training. It is the book that I've recommended most often to young and/or developing clinicians.
1) It provides a straight forward explanation that counseling or helping is done "with", not "to" another person.
2) It clearly explains the need to meet your client/patient/consumer where they are instead of demanding that they fit a program or treatment model (individualized treatment at it's most basic).
3) It acknowledges and defines the term "interaction" - both clinician and client are influenced by the exchange.
4) It starts with the core concept of respect and regard for the person (vs. seeing them as a collection of symptoms or problems)
5) It addresses the goal of the client "outgrowing" the therapy relationship (without a lot of heady jargon, this really addresses the boundary, ethics and counter-transference issues that can derail therapy and professional careers)

Excellent resource for training new clinicians and for refocusing more experienced "helpers".

Overall a great introduction to counseling. It is not really a theory but a framework approach to helping through which each counselor can work in their own way to help clients.

From what I can see, there isn't a whole lot of change to the theory itself from edition to edition. What seems to change is the examples that are used (to make them more relevant to the age) and the use of technology.

Overall, very easy read with great general information.

Egan has made several books from one therory which he appeared to constantly develop! although this may lead us to thinking that this is organic it has remained a model of helping or counselling that never reaches new depths or broadens its client group. Its strength is that its simplicity makes it a very easy model to teach which which gives students easy to follow pathways to counselling skills - probably this is why it was so popular on counselling courses in the UK for so long. Does anyone know if Egan has written a later than the 5th Edition or what he is currently publishing.

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.

This book is a pretty good read. There is a lot of useful information for anyone looking to be a counselor, therapist, or just want to learn how to help better. The reading is a bit wordy, as it usually is with any text book, but its definitely worth a glance for anyone going into the helping field.

The cover isn't exactly like the original but, from page to page, it's the same. Absolutely worth the price.

The book came in plenty of time for classes. I am working on a Masters in Mental Health Counseling and this was a required text. I have to say it's one of the more interesting reads for sure. I was very impressed with how quickly it came, how affordable it was here on Amazon, and with the overall ease of reading the text itself.

This is a great book for people who want to help other people. It is very insightful with lots of tips.

The Skilled Helper provides excellent information, but I'm learning very few skills from it. Why? The chapters.....are too.....friggin.....long. I enter each chapter eager to learn more about counseling techniques, but instead find myself calling upon my anger management skills while flipping page after page and reading section after section after subsection until I reach the chapter's end...only to reach another chapter which is designed to inflict the same pain. The organization of topics needs improvement, with case studies and examples provided in an appendix instead of the actual body of the text. The flow of ideas is positively awful. I will Skillfully delete this text from my Kindle as soon as my masters lever counseling course is over. There HAS to be something available that isn't such a suicide inducing read.

PS: I never want to hear the phrase "for instance" EVER AGAIN!

What I ordered:
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Brooks Cole; 9 edition (July 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0495601896

What I received:
Hardcover: 396 pages
Publisher: Brooks Cole; 8 edition (2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0495092037

NOT Happy. Product pickers need to pay better attention.