Becoming a Helper

by Marianne Schneider Corey, Gerald Corey

Ideal for anyone embarking on or considering a career in the helping professions, BECOMING A HELPER, Sixth Edition provides an overview of the stages of the helping process while teaching students the skills and knowledge they need to become successful helping professionals. Drawing on their years of experience, Corey and Corey focus on the struggles, anxieties, and uncertainties students often encounter on the road to becoming effective helpers. In addition, the text emphasizes self-reflection on a number of professional issues and challenges readers to examine their motives for choosing a helping career. Finally, the authors help students decide if a career in the helping professions is right for them by asking them to take a candid look at the demands and strains they'll face in the helping professions. Retail Description: {RET - P/R} Ideal for anyone embarking on or considering a career in the helping professions, BECOMING A HELPER, Sixth Edition provides an overview of the stages of the helping process while teaching readers the skills and knowledge they need to become successful helping professionals. Drawing on their years of experience, Corey and Corey focus on the struggles, anxieties, and uncertainties people often encounter on the road to becoming effective helpers. Emphasizing self reflection, the authors challenge readers to examine their motives for choosing a helping career and encourage them to take a candid look at the demands and strains they'll face in the helping professions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Textbooks, Psychology, Counselling, Education, Social Work, Self Help

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jodi Schiedel-Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't my favorite textbook, BUT it did reveal to me that community counseling is not the way for me to go in grad school!

[Theiska Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Честно сказать, я не понимаю, что в этой книге можно найти ценного. Где-то половина всей книги посвящена вопросами этики, личностным вопросам специалиста, т.е. его возможности непредвзято консультировать меньшинства (ЛГБТ лиц, атеистов или, наоборот, «сильно» верующих людей). Возможно, во второй половине книги авторы и объясняют как стать консультантом, социальным работником и пр., но читать всю первую половину этой книги только ради того чтобы многократно услышать как трудно будет человеку судить людей не предвзято, особенно если их вера или сексуальная ориентация противоположна консультанту, довольно скучно. К примеру, одна из 14 глав (разделов) книги обозначена как «Are the Helping Professions for You?». Далее идут такие близкие по смыслу темы как «Helper, Know Thyself», «Knowing Your Values», «Understanding Diversity», «Common Concerns of Beginning Helpers», «Ethical and Legal Issues Facing Helpers». Все эти темы настолько пустые и самоочевидные, что непонятно зачем они были включены в этот учебник. В этих темах нет ничего ценного и нового. Из раза в раз и из главы в главу авторы учебника спрашивают читателя, готов ли он воспринимать людей непредвзято и такими, какими они есть? Все эти главы посвящены самому работнику данной области, его внутреннему миру, личностным характеристикам и его взгляду на мир. Такое ощущение, что авторы не хотят, чтобы много людей входило в эту профессию, поэтому отдали половину всей книги тому, чтобы показать, насколько трудная может быть данная профессия, т.е. трудная с психологической и этической точки зрения. Если и говорить об этом, то можно же было ограничиться одной лишь главой и включить в неё все вопросы, связанные с этикой, самоанализом, анализом ценностей и понимания того что люди в обществе очень разные (ЛГБТ, пожилые, женщины и пр.). Короче говоря, проблема этого учебника в том, что он пустой, в смысловом значении слова и что авторы относятся к читателю как к ребёнку, не понимающему, что в этой жизни необходимо нести ответственность за свои поступки.

Frankly speaking, I don't understand what there is of value in this book. About half of the book is devoted to ethical issues, and personal issues of the specialist, i.e. his ability to counsel minorities (LGBT persons, atheists, or, on the contrary, “strongly” religious people) in an unbiased way. Perhaps in the second half of the book, the authors explain how to become a counselor, social worker, etc., but it is rather boring to read the whole first half of this book just to hear repeatedly how difficult it will be for a person to judge people without bias, especially if their faith or sexual orientation is opposite to the counselor. For example, one of the 14 chapters (sections) of the book is labeled “Are the Helping Professions for You?”. Then there are such similar topics as “Helper, Know Thyself”, “Knowing Your Values”, “Understanding Diversity”, “Common Concerns of Beginning Helpers”, and “Ethical and Legal Issues Facing Helpers”. All of these topics are so empty and self-evident that it is unclear why they were included in this textbook. There is nothing valuable or new in these topics. Time after time and chapter after chapter, the authors of the textbook ask the reader if he or she is ready to see people in an unbiased way, as they are. All these chapters are devoted to the field worker himself, his inner world, his personality characteristics, and his view of the world. It feels as if the authors do not want many people to enter this profession, so they gave half of the book to show how difficult this profession can be, i.e. difficult from a psychological and ethical point of view. If this is the case, it could have been limited to one chapter and included all the issues related to ethics, self-reflection, analysis of values, and understanding that people in society are very different (LGBT, elderly, women, etc.). In short, the problem with this textbook is that it is empty, in the semantic sense of the word, and that the authors treat the reader as a child who does not understand that in this life one must take responsibility for one's actions.

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading parts of this book when I studied social work back in 2012 so when I found it at a secondhand bookshop, I had to have my own copy. Unfortunately, this particular edition (first published in 1989!) has dated terribly. With specific sections devoted to AIDS, it’s very much a time capsule of a particular moment in human history. That doesn’t mean it’s not helpful: there are still relevant sections on determining whether the helping professions are a good fit for you; considering your values; and a lot of discussion of ethical issues, stress and burnout, which I found most helpful. But it took me five months to read this in its entirety.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful broad overview of everything counseling. Technique suggestions and insight into all types of healing and how to help others. Wish someone would have recommended this to me before or during grad school!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good overview of some basic considerations for counseling students.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandatory school reading. It was a well written book, great for beginning psychologists. I wish I could have read it in my masters already.

[jo]

i read this book for my professional and ethical foundations of counseling class

[Danell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, basic overview of the counseling field.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

finished!!!