The Skilled Helper by Gerard Egan

[Wanna Be Counsellor]

Hi,
I wondered if anyone has read this, and what they thought of it? I have read the list of reviews but it isn't in there.

Our current coursework includes an article interviewing Gerard Egan about his work/studies and life experiences.

I was interested to know your views, as am considering buying the book or finding out if our college library has it available to loan.

Many Thanks,

[Jenny]

Ahh the tutor on our counselling skills course recommended this book but i never got round to reading it. A few people on the course said it was boring and that put me off lol. But don't let my bad review of the book put you off as i've never looked in it... i did see a fair few copies of it in the college library and have even seen it in a local charity shop so maybe check places like that out first where you can get it free/cheap :)

Maybe someone who has read the book has some feedback.. i'd be interested in hearing about this too

:grouphug:

[Wanna Be Counsellor]

I must admit that the article i read was 'hard going', but you could see there was some form of relevance. It wasn't very explanitory of the 'methods' behind the book though so will be interesting to read the book. Will have a look soon for it I think :)

[Cherrypie]

Hello there!

I have read quite a bit and bought a lot of books but as funds have got tighter I went to the library for this and was so glad I did. I wouldn't personally buy this one now although it is the core model that underpinned much of my level 3 course.

For some reason this one is particularly expensive but not something that called to me at all. I would strongly suggest library and if you love it then buy it afterwards!

[Wanna Be Counsellor]

Thanks Cherry Pie! :D Will head down to the library then! :D Can't be wasting money.. not with the fee's i'm looking at as well! lol the list of suggested reading is huge just for this course let alone the next ones!

[andyhp]

It is, I believe, the biggest selling counselling book in the world at present and has outsold any other counselling book by some way. Of course this doesn't necessarily make it a good book.

When I first started to read it I found it hard going, the persistent 'it's a 3 stage approach' I found quite annoying. I persisted though and am glad I did. I think Egan's core 'message' that counselling must result in change is correct and I do think the book is very good at reinforcing that mesasage and giving some useful hints as to how to ensure that 'goal' remains at the forefront of the work being done.

I do think the language used can be offputting, it is very 'American' and the use of unfamiliar (to us anyway) terms such as leverage can give the wrong impression. There is a very good book by Val Wosket, written with Egan's consent/approval, that tries (mostly succesfully) to rephrase the book in more 'European' language and to place a greater emphasis on the relationship aspect than Egan possibly appears to do. I've also heard it said that the language of the book is very masculine. I find this view hard to understand although that could be because I am a man!

The book certainly is not 'light' reading and is quite dense but I do believe it is a good book to own as having read it cover to cover it is then a good book to 'dip in' to relevant sections. It is though very expensive for a paperback and new editions seem a yearly event.

I admit that I once summed it up as CBT without the techniques. I was wrong of course as while even Egan himself describes it as a model that is 'cognitive, affective and behavioural' it is, as it says on the tin, a problem solving and opportunity development model whereas CBT is of course (as we all know!) a cognitive restructuring approach.

I wouldn't imagine it's for everyone. Egan's scant regard for a 'Freudian unconscious' and his emphasis on cognitive dissonance to explain defences may be 'music to my ears' but probably wouldn't be so harmonious to some.