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Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky (Author, Narrator), Connie Burk (Author), Berrett-Koehler Publishers (Publisher)
4.7 out of 5 stars 2,123 ratings

A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, numb, or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other animals, and the planet itself. Through Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way - not by becoming overwhelmed but by developing a quality of mindful presence. Joining the wisdom of ancient cultural traditions with modern psychological research, Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices that will allow us to remake ourselves - and ultimately the world.

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 37 minutes
  2. Author
    Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, see all
  3. Narrator
    Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
  4. Audible release date
    October 26, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  7. ASIN
    B076QT1QWH
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 37 minutes
Author Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, Connie Burk
Narrator Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 26, 2017
Publisher Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B076QT1QWH
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
2,123 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book extremely helpful for mental health professionals, with one noting it offers good coping skills and options. The book is relatively easy to read and excellent for self-care, featuring personal stories and case examples that make it interesting. Customers appreciate its credibility and humor, particularly noting its comedic value for trauma workers. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some customers finding it helpful for managing burnout while others find it repetitive.

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KnowledgeReadabilityContentCredibilityHumorPacing
119 customers mention "Knowledge"119 positive0 negative

Customers find the book extremely helpful, particularly for those in the mental health field and trauma counselors, with one customer noting it offers good coping skills and options.

"Great book. Understanding trauma and self-care are so important for those who do are drawn to doing the hard work of caring for others...." Read more

"...Her approach to trauma stewardship is both compassionate and practical, and her personal engagement at the conference made the experience even more..." Read more

"The most intelligent, comprehensive *and* down-to-earth and practical book on compassion fatigue..." Read more

"...It is a short, easy read with valuable lessons. I think this is an important book for mental health professionals to read...." Read more

32 customers mention "Readability"27 positive5 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and excellent for self-care, appreciating its down-to-earth approach.

"...And it is an easy read. Excellent" Read more

"The most intelligent, comprehensive *and* down-to-earth and practical book on compassion fatigue..." Read more

"If you work in a helping profession this is an excellent text for self care." Read more

"...Personally, this work has allowed to see myself more clearly and identify problems that I may already be fully ware of but need further..." Read more

11 customers mention "Content"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content interesting, with personal stories and case examples that make it relatable.

"Great book. I enjoyed a lot the case examples as they are very easy to follow and relate too...." Read more

"...THIS BOOK IS SUCH A BOOK. This work completely transcends its genre...." Read more

"I loved the book. Amazing and relatable content. Extremely helpful. The reader in the audio is not great though...." Read more

"...It is inventive, fresh, and the author's voice is refreshing, informed, and engaging." Read more

8 customers mention "Credibility"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book credible, with one mentioning it provides honest accounts and credible examples.

"This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. It validated my experience, it helped put words to what I was experiencing while working in the..." Read more

"...and gives names to the holes into which we can fall which is incredibly validating...." Read more

"...She and her book are amazing. This book validates and helps you understand the changes that take place in the mind and heart of law enforcement..." Read more

"...in action and the effects, this book clearly describes and sites credible examples. Thanks for putting this together." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's humor, particularly noting its comedic value for trauma workers.

"...The writer's use of HUMOR is MASTERFUL-she somehow manages to elicit an array of almost "Sedaris-style" belly laughs, while addressing the..." Read more

"...I did not expect the content to provide me with such heart, such humor and so many well described techniques for how to proceed in the field...." Read more

"...Her knowledge, passion, and humor had me buy the book while she was speaking" Read more

"...If you ever get an opportunity to hear her, I would do it. Funny, smart, and very down to earth person" Read more

12 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it helpful for managing burnout, while others find it repetitive and too focused on social agenda issues.

"...This is a great perspective on vicarious trauma, burnout, and how to care for ourselves so we can continue to do the work we love." Read more

"...It can be draining, frustrating, even powerless feeling...." Read more

"...this book helps recenter and focus so that we can go it for the long haul, and really be there for the people we care about without burning out...." Read more

"...Most of the book, however, is an apologetic for socialism and political activism...." Read more

Trauma Stewardship
5 out of 5 stars
Trauma Stewardship
Foster Care case manager here. Very excited to dive into this book!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Placeholder
    5.0 out of 5 stars Defining a Problem is Crucial in Finding a Solution
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    As a hospice clinician / chaplain working in the PSS discipline subtle events of trauma are a regular occurrence. Identifying and comprehension of the symptoms provides checks and balances to the daily routine. The book explains trauma, assists in understanding our responses, creating change and allowing conscious awareness of where one is in the career they find themselves.
    Personally, this work has allowed to see myself more clearly and identify problems that I may already be fully ware of but need further understanding.
    Any person who helps others will find this book a valuable tool in continuing in doing what one does.
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  • Daniel Cooper
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book by an amazing author!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    *"Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others" is an exceptional and deeply insightful book. The author offers invaluable guidance on managing the emotional and physical toll of caregiving, making it an essential read for anyone in the helping professions. The practical advice and thoughtful reflections are both empowering and comforting. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at this year's 50th NOVA Conference, and her passion and dedication to the subject were truly inspiring. Her approach to trauma stewardship is both compassionate and practical, and her personal engagement at the conference made the experience even more memorable. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to balance self-care with the demands of caring for others. Highly recommended!"
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Trish W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I thought I was doing a good job managing my exposure to others' trauma, until I read this book. What I discovered is that I'm responding in a multitude of subtle ways that have, over time, altered who I am and how I live. Yet, the message I took from the book, is that I chose this path and therefore, as a trauma steward, have a responsibility to manage my trauma exposure response. Instead of feeling hopeless about who I've become, I decided to embrace my responsibility and take back control. I started with simple changes, such as answering my phone when it rings instead of letting it go to voice mail. I noticed an internal shift almost immediately. I had not realized how much I had been avoiding connection and keeping myself isolated as a way to cope with my trauma exposure.

    The author's approach to trauma stewardship is systemic and encompasses a variety of domains and ecologies. As a clinical supervisor, I am able to use this material to help my staff recognize and manage their trauma exposure response. We are all using this knowledge to help our clients' caregivers and the external systems that work with our clients recognize and manage their exposure to our clients' trauma. The result of our increased awareness has had a direct and significantly positive effect on our work.

    Reading this book was a privilege and a gift. It is original, profound, and eye-opening!
    55 people found this helpful
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  • B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. It validated my experience, it helped put words to what I was experiencing while working in the trauma field, it posed excellent questions for me to think about and provided practical guidance.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • dawn
    4.0 out of 5 stars gives names to the holes into which we can fall which is incredibly validating
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book was referenced many times during a volunteer training by an organization devoted to survivors of human trafficking. What struck me about the book was the substantial amount of cartoon material dealing with trauma. I have always been a person with a strong sense of humor, and I use humor to help me deal with stress, but to have so many cartoonists deal with burnout, trauma, depression, mid-life crises, etc shows how prevalent these things are in our lives.

    What did I learn from this book? That anyone who tries to do good gets push-back from the universe/system/bad-guys. The profiles in the book range from NGO workers going to war-torn countries to an assistant to a US President and all felt like they had given their last molecule to their causes. I’m older now and I what l learned the hard way was – this is just the way it is. If you are going to try to do good, expect it to be an uphill battles. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky describes the process of burn out, and gives names to the holes into which we can fall which is incredibly validating. This was the main value of her book for me – I did not realize the stages that those engaged in trauma stewardship traverse through actually have names!
    25 people found this helpful
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  • Jen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Applicable
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is a book that has applications for anyone dealing with trauma; trauma from their personal lives, work, natural disasters, etc. Learning how to understand and work with your trauma is essential.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Miara Rianin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Preventive medicine for the mind. I recommend this to everyone in a caring profession!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Social workers, nurses, counselors, teachers, people in emergency services or law enforcement...anyone who faces secondary trauma in their everyday life. One of my professors named this book as basically required reading for a social worker, along with Daring Greatly, The Body Keeps the Score, and It Didn't Start With You. I ended up dog-earing about a dozen different pages because I kept finding pages that I knew I'd have to come back to!
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars **Essential Reading**
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    How many books do you read that compel you to want to send it to everyone you know? THIS BOOK IS SUCH A BOOK. This work completely transcends its genre. At the risk of sounding over-the-top, if you are a citizen of this Planet, you should read this book. It is dense with nugget after nugget of profound wisdom and insight into the human condition. Let's face it, the World we live in poses very challenging circumstances--both individually and globally. Lipsky does not sugar-coat these realities. Rather, she courageously probes into the core of human trauma and its residual effects, while offering a treasure trove of tools for transcendence. The writer's use of HUMOR is MASTERFUL-she somehow manages to elicit an array of almost "Sedaris-style" belly laughs, while addressing the most serious of life's obstacles. Her profound insight into the recesses, idiosyncracies and trappings of the human mind allows her to offer the golden chord of healing, in the form of pragmatic solutions and tools--we just have to grab on. It's quite a ride!
    53 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Ng Kwai Sim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition
    Reviewed in Singapore on July 1, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Book arrived in good condition. Delivered was faster than I expected.
    Report
  • scari
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book said things that I had only heard but never acknowledged in my head - it was like it was written just for me
    Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this based on a Vicarious Trauma course I had taken. This book covers trauma from all types of stewardship - animal rescue, species conservatorship, planet preservation, and human caregiving. I did not realize that I had trauma from my years of cat rescue, I had assumed it all came from my work with humans. This book said things that I had only heard but never acknowledged in my head - it was like it was written just for me. In reading this book I recognized the signs of trauma in every one of my coworkers and how realized how much we had changed and hardened ourselves because of our job. This wonderful book talks about how important it is for workers and management to work through and support each other with this, and what you may need to do to help and heal yourself. Most books just point out your trauma, this book also recommends paths for healing and ways of prevention and the use of mindfulness. I have been therapy for a couple of years and this book still blew me away. Everyone from vet techs to scientists to human caregivers needs to get this book!
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  • nicole morgentau
    5.0 out of 5 stars sehr empfehlenswert
    Reviewed in Germany on December 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    ich arbeite schon lange in dem Feld und mir hat der umfassende Blick auf die Betroffenen sehr gut gefallen. Keine einfachen Antworten auf komplexe Fragen, sondern Schritt für Schritt schauen wo man sich befindet und wohin man will.
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  • B. Vriend
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great manual or self-care book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Bought for my nephew who is a social worker; he finds it a great guide to keep his mental health in ship shape shape!
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  • jacqueline
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
    Reviewed in Australia on May 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    So much wisdom here, practical applications and beautiful and thought provoking quotes and references.
    I highly recommend this book for people working with others who have experienced trauma and for those working in potentially distressing fields such as climate change.
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