When someone asks for help : a practical guide for counseling / Everett L. Worthington, Jr.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Me, a helper -- Why is friend-to-friend counseling effective? -- 2. What can you expect from this book -- Jim: a case study -- Helping jim -- Part one: A model for helping -- 2. What is Christian helping -- Defining Christina helping -- Keeping on track -- 3. What are people like and what causes problems -- Personal theories about people -- Needs and goals -- The whole person -- 4. Solving problems -- Many doors -- How scientists solve problems -- How people solve problems -- Stages of helping -- Part two: Skills of the effective helper -- 5. Communication problems (stage 1) -- Why communicate -- Good and bad translations -- Weeding the garden -- Power struggles -- It takes time -- 6. Understanding emotions (stage 1) -- What we learn through emotions -- Recognizing different emotions -- What emotions do -- Handling strong emotions -- 7. Messages that don't help (Stage 1) -- Let me ask you this -- There, there, friend -- You think you've got a problem -- That old problem -- Let me give you some good advice -- Let me tell you about that -- I'll take care of it for you -- I'll bet I know -- Now here's where your wrong -- 8. Understanding your friend's problem (stage 1) -- Preparing to understand the problem -- How to begin -- Questions to be answered in stage 1 -- When phil asked for help -- Phil: session 1 -- What is phil's point of view of the problem -- Understanding phil better -- Evaluating the interview -- 9. Showing you understand (stage 2) -- Identifying problems and goals -- Focusing discussion -- Phil: session 2 -- Putting it into practice -- Introducing new ideas -- Prelude to action -- Phil: session 3 -- 11. Planning for change (stage 3) -- An ideal plan -- Designing the plan -- Suggesting the plan -- Motivating for action -- Calling for commitment -- Phil: session 4 -- Evaluating session 4 -- 12. When the plan goes into effect (stage 4 and 5) -- Evaluation (stages 4 and 5) -- Support (Stage 4) -- Phil: session 5 -- Evaluating this session -- Follow-up (stage 5) -- Phil: session 6 -- Evaluation time -- 13. The adventure of helping -- Jim (revisited) -- One possible set of answers -- What have you learned.

"I have a problem. ... Could you help me?" Ever hear this plea over lunch or late at night in a dormitory? Someone has come to us for help. "Who, me?" we blurt out and then frantically think, "What can I say? How can I help?" Everett Worthington guides us as we respond to these delicate and unexpected situations. First he explains what Christian helping really is, what causes problems and how they can be solved. Then he takes us step by step through the five stages of counseling, from understanding what's going on to helping people work through their problems. Throughout, he describes the delicate dynamics of moving into a helping relationship, providing aid, then moving back into the give-and-take of friendship. Here is a book to help Christians put love into action through bearing other people's burdens.