The Heart of Being Helpful: Empathy & the Creation of a Healing Presence

by Peter R. Breggin

Based on more than 30 years of clinical experience as a psychiatrist and a therapist, Dr. Breggin's book, now available in an affordable paperback, illustrates the importance of developing a therapeutic bond--or healing presence--between helping professionals and their clients. The author provides useful vignettes, case studies, and personal insights to help both beginning and experienced therapists develop more empathy in therapeutic relationships. He asserts that the first step toward effective treatment is empathic self-transformation in the therapist. It is empathy and self-transformation that lie at the heart of being helpful. Topics include vulnerability, nurturing, helplessness, forgiveness, and spirituality, as well as tips for working with clients in extreme emotional crises, children and families, and patients of culturally diverse backgrounds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1997

About the author

Peter R. Breggin MD is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and former Consultant at NIMH who has been called “The Conscience of Psychiatry” for his many decades of successful efforts to reform the mental health field.
His work provides the foundation for modern criticism of psychiatric diagnoses and drugs, and leads the way in promoting more caring and effective therapies.
His research and educational projects have brought about major changes in the FDA-approved Full Prescribing Information or labels for dozens of antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs.
Dr. Breggin has authored dozens of scientific articles and more than twenty books, including medical books and the bestsellers Toxic Psychiatry and Talking Back to Prozac.

Reviews

[Holly Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every person in a helping profession (including parents) should read this book. Dr. Breggin describes the journey of how to place love at the center of every relationship through the development of empathy and self transformation.

[Caffeinated Book Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book was a requirement for one of my counseling courses, I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the field of counseling or in a helping profession. I appreciated the easy to follow way in which Breggin explains how to have an appropriate relation to a client. While going through my courses I always struggled with how to have a healthy boundary with a client but still allow an appropriate emotional response to what they say. I appreciated that this book gave tangible ways in which I can do this in a session appropriately.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly helpful, and a must for anyone who works one-on-one with people.

[Melissa Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!!!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone!!!!!