Counselling and Helping Carers

Illustrated by case studies throughout, this book examines the experience of carers, considers the special characteristics of carers as a population, and considers how help might best be provided by those involved in the professional helping role. List of tables.

List of figures.

Foreword.

Preface to the Series.

1. Background and Introduction.

2. The task of caring.

3. A model of coping.

4. The needs of carers.

5. Helping: the basic skills.

6. Putting it all together.

7. Conclusions.

Appendix A: Useful organizations/agencies - UK.

Appendix B: Useful organizations/agencies - US.

References.

Index.

'... the use of case studies throughout the book makes it both engrossing and sometimes moving.'

Health Psychology Update.

'All community nurses should find this book to be a useful aid in their work with carers. Even those people with advanced counselling and helping skills will find the particular context of this book should help to enhance their understanding of the particular needs of carers.'

Journal of Community Nursing.

Mitchell Noon is Consultant Health Psychologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, UK with many years' experience of providing training to health professionals.

The forward is by Professor Alastair MacDonald of the Lewisham and Guy's Mental Health Trust, Lewisham Hospital, London, UK, who acted as Editorial Medical Advisor for the book.

"How can I describe my feelings about a life together – a partnership for all those years – set at my husband’s retirement, with plans for doing the sorts of things we had always enjoyed – now completely destroyed."

Much is written about the experience of people who are ill, but relatively little is said about the emotional and material effects of illness on those who care for the patient. The needs of carers are sometimes unclear and many professional helpers are uncertain about their role in relation to carers and how to respond to carersi´ needs. Counselling and Helping Carers has been written to enable health care and social service workers to be more effective in addressing the needs of carers.

Illustrated with case studies throughout, this book examines the experience of carers, considers the special characteristics of carers as a population, and considers how help may best be provided by those who are involved in a professional helping role. It is designed to enhance helpers’ basic counseling and helping skills, and to help them recognize and respond to the carer’s difficult task of negotiating the complex path from crisis to coping. It will be an invaluable guide for all helpers who encounter carers as part of their day to day work, whether volunteers or professionals.