Humane Helping: Focusing Less on Disorders and More on Life’s Challenges

225 Pages·2017·4.04 MB·English

by  Eric Maisel

“The prolific Eric Maisel has produced yet another wise and useful
book for counselors and psychotherapists. The ‘humane’ approach to
understanding and helping clients described in this book is essentially a
non-medicalizing and non-pathologizing approach that puts respect for
clients at the forefront where it should be. Practitioners of all theoretical
persuasions should find this book enlightening and helpful.”
James E. Maddux, PhD, university professor emeritus, Department
of Psychology, senior scholar, Center for the Advancement of
Well-Being, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
“In Humane Helping, Eric Maisel gives practitioners and healers powerful
and practical tools for helping their patients grow, evolve, and transform.
Through rich case examples combined with his hallmark timeless
wisdom, Eric teaches us to step outside of conventional diagnoses and
appreciate the full humanity in the patients we treat, and in ourselves.”
Anna Yusim, MD, psychiatrist and author of Fulfilled:
How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a
Happier, More Meaningful Life
“In Humane Helping, Dr. Eric Maisel provides therapists with practical
recipes for healing. He discusses ways in which current diagnostic or
fix-it paradigms can act as barriers to healing. He then provides us with
in depth advice about how to be a more human, grounded, and skilled
helper. A useful guide for beginning and experienced therapists alike!”
Melanie Greenberg, PhD, author of The Stress-Proof Brain
and The Mindful Self-Express blog

Humane Helping
Humane Helping is a comprehensive, practical guide that helps clinicians
shift their practice from the mental disorder-and-chemical fix and expert-
talk models to a more humane, helpful model that increases their ability
to help clients meet life’s challenges and reduce emotional distress.
Chapters clearly explain the shortfalls of the current models and the
advantages of Eric Maisel’s model and include case studies, reflection
questions, and actionable steps. Written for helping professionals in
mental health as well as practitioners from fields such as coaching and
nursing, Humane Helping challenges current practices and provides
helpers with the tools they need to more compassionately, effectively, and
honestly serve their clients.
Eric Maisel, PhD, is a retired licensed psychotherapist, creativity coach,
and internationally respected expert in the field of mental health reform.
He is the author of more than fifty books including The Future of Mental
Health, Rethinking Depression, Overcoming Your Difficult Family, and
The Van Gogh Blues. He reaches a large audience with his personal list,
Psychology Today blog, print column for Professional Artist magazine,
and weekly appearance in the Fine Art America newsletter.

Contents
Author’s Note xi
Introduction 1
1 Helping Is Hard 5
2 Helping Is Easy 17
3 Embracing Not Knowing 29
4 On Not Diagnosing 41
5 Being with a Person 55
6 Being with a Real Person 67
7 Where Will You Focus? 77
8 Creating Game Plans and Inviting Homework 89
9 Experimenting with Formulation 99
10 Including Life Purpose and Meaning 111
11 Including Circumstances and Experiences 123
12 Eclecticism and Personality Trait Work 133
13 Understanding the Psychiatric Survivor Recovery and
Peer Support Movements 145
14 Humanely Helping Children 157
Humane Helping
Focusing Less on Disorders
and More on Life’s Challenges
Eric Maisel
First edition published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Eric Maisel
The right of Eric Maisel to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Maisel, Eric, 1947- author.
Title: Humane helping: focusing less on disorders and more on life’s
challenges / Eric Maisel.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2017. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers : LCCN 2017023109 | ISBN 9781138038608 (hardcover : alk.
paper) | ISBN 9781138038615 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315115801
(e-book)
Subjects: | MESH: Mental Disorders—therapy | Professional-Patient
Relations
Classification: LCC RC454 | NLM WM 400 | DDC 616.89—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017023109
ISBN: 978-1-138-03860-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-03861-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-11580-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Keystroke, Neville Lodge, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton
For Ann, the epitome of a humane helper