Soul Care for Caregivers: How to Help Yourself While Helping Others - Paperback

by Susanne West (Author)

In Soul Care for Caregivers: How to Help Yourself While Helping Others, author and psychology professor Susanne West provides a guide and toolkit for family and professional caregivers that includes practical suggestions, creative processes, action steps, and inspiration to help you care for your mind, body, and soul while caring for others. Soul Care for Caregivers explores topics such as: *How to manage the challenges and stressors of caregiving *How to prevent burnout and "compassion fatigue" *Why healthy boundaries are important and how to set and maintain them *How to identify the "soul gifts" of caregiving *Why creative expression is good medicine for caregivers *How to access intuition to assist you in caregiving *Resources for information and support *Insights from four family and four professional caregivers *Anecdotes from the author's caregiving experiences "To keep caring for others, we must replenish ourselves; otherwise, we start running on empty. In the warm and wise voice of someone who has been there herself, Susanne West offers many effective ways to take care of yourself from the inside out. Her book - full of her own qualities of deep kindness and practical wisdom - is a gift from the heart both to caregivers and to those they help and love." Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happines, Love, and Wisdom.

Author Biography

Susanne West is a Professor of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University and is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award at JFKU. She is also on the faulty of the Center for Hypnotherapy where she developed and teaches guided imagery certification programs. Susanne is a life coach and integrative spiritual teacher who works with individuals and groups. She facilitates Soul Care for Caregivers groups and workshops, Writing from the Soul, and Creativity and Awakening groups and teleseminars. She is also on the teaching staff of Waking Down. In 1989, Susanne's daughter was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and Crohn's disease, which marked the beginning of her caregiving journey. In 2011, her daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition to family caregiving, Susanne has been in the helping professions for over thirty years. Her book, Soul Care for Caregivers: How to Help Yourself While Helping Others, is written for both family and professional caregivers. Her website is www.susannewest.com