Book Review
Basic counseling skills: A helper's manual
Richard Nelson-Jones
ISBN: 978-1-412947-47-3; 2003; 208 pages; Sage Publications, Inc;
Susan McDonald
Clinical Nurse Psychiatry, Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Werribee Mercy Hospital, Werribee VIC
Basic Counselling Skills: A helper's manual is well set out and very easy to read. The author, Richard Nelson Jones, a British and Australian citizen is a leading international author whose books have been used to help train counselors worldwide.
This book is targeted to those who use counseling as part of their professional role rather than those who are accredited counselors. This book offers basic or fundamental counseling skills - exactly as described in the title. The book would be most beneficial to those in the health and helping professions with no formal counseling training or those revise on their basic counseling skills. From this perspective the content of this book is both similar and suited to any introduction to counseling skills workshop or undergraduate nursing program.
The structure of this book lays the groundwork for understanding the use of basic counseling skills across a range of settings. It is divided into three parts. Part one; introduction, Part two; specific counseling skills and Part three; further considerations. There are twenty-eight brief chapters, which include such areas as, the helping process, active and attentive listening, facilitating problem solving, ending the relationship, diversity, ethical issues and supervision. At the end of each chapter, activities are provides to enhance the learning process and the development of skill acquisition. I found these activities easy to follow and provided valuable reflection on the content covered.
An impressive aspect of this book is the provision of an extensive annotated bibliography which is provided as an appendix. Also included as an appendix is a list of professional counseling associations in Britain, Australia and United States. Two professional associations are listed for Australia.
In summary, this book offers the reader exactly what its title states, Basic counseling skills and the opportunity to develop these through reading and activities.
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