The Mindful Path to Self-compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions by Christopher Germer (review)

The books begins by explaining peoples’ tendency to resist, suppress, or escape their emotional and mental pain. The author, Dr. Christopher Germer, helps the reader understand that by doing so, people actually create more personal, mental, and emotional pain for themselves. More specifically, he lays out in an easy-to-understand equation that pain compounded by resistance equates to more suffering (p. 15). While experiencing pain is a part of the human experience, Germer (2009) explains that “suffering is optional” (p. 16), meaning that people do not need to compound their experiences and make them worse. Rather than resist our pain, the author indicates that the antidote is to turn toward and face the pain so that people can kindly look at it and care for themselves in a more loving way. Two components of doing so involve the use of self-compassion and mindfulness

Resilience and Disability: Creation of an online course for professionals

Resilience is an area of emerging interest among counselors, psychologists, and allied helping professionals. Much of this has occurred due to the advent of the Positive Psychology Movement. Despite this recent surge of interest, rehabilitation counseling has been well acquainted with factors and skills related to positive coping and adjustment among persons with disabilities. Yet, a recent survey conducted by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) found that rehabilitation counselors reported an interest in learning about skills and techniques related to resilience. For this reason the author was asked to develop an on-line course for CRCC pertaining to resilience and resilience-cultivation; one in which counselors and allied helping professionals could simultaneously earn continuing education credits. The following article gives professionals an overview of this course; one they can access to improve their knowledge and comfort with resilience and resilience cultivation as a part of the counseling and the rehabilitation process

Resilience: A Pathway to Healthier and Happier Living

Resilience….What does it mean? How does a person acquire it? What is its relationship to disability, employment, and quality of life? These are some questions people may ponder when they hear it used in conjunction with disability, employment, and healthier living. While the expectation of being resilient following a traumatic or life changing event is an embedded value within our culture, resilience is not a topic often discussed or readily understood. It is either assumed it will just materialize or it is simply expected. Such beliefs are not necessarily helpful because there are times in all peoples’ lives when situations and events do not go well or as planned and take us by surprise; thus knocking us off our feet! When this happens, we find ourselves in a position where we might want to consider resilience

Self-Compassion and Sexuality: A New Model for Women With Disabilities

Sexuality and self-compassion are two concepts which have not been previously considered or combined when discussing the needs of women with disabilities. Sexuality, by itself, is a challenging topic for many counselors to address, let alone in combination with the needs of women with disabilities. Additionally, self-compassion is an emerging area which has rarely been applied to the needs of women with disabilities. In an effort to bridge this gap and to improve the sexual adjustment counseling services offered to women with disabilities, barriers which affect sexual adjustment, sexual concerns, and an illustration of ways to infuse sexuality into the adjustment to disability process are discussed followed by a new model of sexuality and disability

Compassion & self-compassion: Exploration of utility as potential components of the rehabilitation counseling profession

Compassion and self-compassion are two constructs emerging within the research as useful agents in reducing negative thoughts,feelings, and outcomes while also promoting positive ones. To date, these constructs have not been studied or applied to the rehabilitation counseling profession or the needs of individuals with disabilities. In an effort to bridge this gap and to enhance rehabilitation counseling professionals\u27 awareness of their potential value, an in-depth review of the literature and research on these two constructs was conducted. Throughout this article, compassion and self-compassion are more clearly conceptualized and barriers which may hinder their development are discussed. A review of empirical research is provided to help demonstrate their usefulness as potential healing agents in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Recommendations are proved to rehabilitation counseling professionals who work with persons with disabilities

A Life Beyond Endurance By: Fay Grindrod (review)

The author of this book is one such individual. Ms. Grindrod witnessed the Holocaust from an early age, saw and experienced the devastating effects of it firsthand. Grindrod opens the book with a synopsis of her time and experiences as a master’s student in a guidance and counseling program. During this portion of her life, she is afforded an opportunity to explore and write about her own (a) personal and life development; (b) familial experiences growing up and those that occurred during the Holocaust; (c) testimonial witnessing to mass starvation amongst people she knew; and (d) stark observations of friends, loved ones, and strangers being brutally beaten, marched to prison camps, or murdered by German soldiers, just to name a few. Throughout this portion of the book she weaves stories and experiences into the fabric and landscape of the class assignment she was asked to complete. Personal insight and growth exercises are not uncommon in many counseling and psychology programs, as a key component instilled throughout is to know and understand thyself, for it is through this unearthing process that professionals can learn to truly know themselves so they can address and work through any buried pain. Another key component of insight exercises is helping professionals experience themselves, their life, and developmental experiences in such a way that they can move past them and, hopefully, become the type of professional who can assist others they encounter who are having a difficult time in life or in moving past some challenging trauma or situation

Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind By: Dr. Kristen Neff (review)

In her book, Dr. Neff helps the reader understand self-compassion and its importance. She clarifies the essential components which make up compassion, as much of this is also discussed throughout her research. In addition, she explains benefits and constructive reasons to consider self-compassion and applies it to various life domains to which we all can relate due to our being human. Finally, Dr. Neff ends her book with a beautiful illustration of the ways we can emerge ‘for the better’ when we are on the other side of our difficult times and when we have incorporated self-compassion into our lives as a means of coping with ‘life on life’s terms.

Stuntzner\u27s Forgiveness Intervention: Learning to Forgive Yourself and Others

In an effort to help persons with disabilities learn to forgive and to achieve a more peaceful and serene way of life, a seven module forgiveness intervention has been developed. While the full intervention consists of seven modules, some professionals, depending on the person, group, or situation, may tailor the process to only six modules. This is because an additional but specific module (i.e., Module 2) was added for women with disabilities. While many of the experiences, feelings, beliefs, and personal hurts or offenses are similar regardless of gender, it was felt that an additional module be included for women with disabilities because this is a group of individuals who are doubly- or triply-stigmatized (Deegan & Brooks, 1985; Saxton, 1985). Further, it is well documented throughout the research that women with disabilities are more likely to be single or divorced, stigmatized even to a greater extent than their male counterparts with disabilities, and often have fewer personal and financial resources to help themselves (see Nosek &Hughes, 2003; Olkin, 2008; Stuntzner, in press). As a result, women with disabilities may not receive enough attention and focus from professionals, agencies, or others trying to assist them in moving forward following disability. This forgiveness intervention was developed to try and change that historical trend

Reflections from the past: Life lessons for better living.

The sections and skills presented in this book are a compilation of areas sometimes discussed throughout the disability literature as factors thought to be associated with adjustment, coping, and resiliency combined with my personal experience of learning how to deal with and overcome various situations. This book is broken down into 10 areas that are often discussed in relation to adjustment, coping, and resiliency. Within each section are the various “skills” I have used or further refined out of necessity when living with a visible condition. Most of these skills I have learned to use and incorporate as a regular part of my life and majority of them I continue to use today. Because of my life experiences, I firmly believe in the power and utility of having many coping skills and resources. I say this primarily due to the fact that on occasion, the “usual” way of dealing and moving past some event does not work. When this happens, I have learned I must be willing to once again, develop a new skill so that I am resilient enough to move past the obstacles I find myself faced with

Self-compassion and Employment Issues of Persons with Disabilities

Self-compassion……..What is it? Why is it of value? How does it relate to the employment needs of persons with disabilities? These are just a few of the questions people might have when they hear the term followed by having it associated with employment and persons with disabilities. For starters, self-compassion is not a topic that has been historically discussed openly, correctly understood, or promoted. Instead, the societal message when faced with difficult life events such as disability, unemployment, and lack of resources (i.e., access, education) has been one of “just man up and deal with it.” Self-compassion offers everyone, including persons with disabilities, a positive and viable alternative