Night Call: Embracing Compassion and Hope in a Troubled World [Hardcover]

Told through anecdotes, clinical observations, and pearls of wisdom, and drawing from broad literature in psychology, philosophy, religion, and spirituality, Wicks weaves together stories of pain, hope, healing, and strength to guide readers through the night. This text is the culmination of decades of experience of someone who trains the healers, and helps the helpers. Consequently, it affords readers the opportunity to learn the strategies that professional helpers, first responders, ministers, emergency workers, and soldiers have learned to use in dealing with loss, pain, trauma, and grief.Caring for our family members, friends, and others is a central part of a rewarding life. For those in healing and helping professions such as medicine, nursing, education, psychotherapy, social work, ministry, and the military, the potential for a meaningful way of being may even become more possible. But, compassion is not easy. At times, concern for others can be personally devastating when we don't possess the right attitude and approach. Reaching out (and reflectively within) without being pulled down requires the wisdom that only arises out of the right combination of humility and knowledge.Night Calloffers the stories and principles gleaned over many years of writing and mentoring for those in the helping and healing professions. The stories are offered in ways that foster compassionate caring while encouraging initiative in those who seek to personally deepen and share their lives with others -- especially in times of significant need. With this in mind, Dr. Wicks presents information on:? being a healing presence? mining fruits of the failures all of us must experience at times? the need to enjoy the daily crumbs of alonetime ? the importance of a spirit of unlearning ? developing a simple realistic self-care program? valuing informal or formal mentoring? recognizing the 3 calls to which we must respond to as we psychologically develop? honoring life's mosl“'