Book Reviews
From this book, coaches and other mental health practitioners, whether novice or seasoned, will learn effective methods for working with a wide range of clients. Clear, insightful, and compassionate ... a must read.”
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Patricia Gerbarg, MD, Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychiatry, New York Medical College and co-author of “The Healing Power of the Breath.” USA.
Trauma is ubiquitous. But not an understanding of its toxic presence in our minds and bodies. Nor how to enable its casualties to build a life of hope and contribution.
In the wake of 9/11, I was mental health commissioner for NYC. A substantial FEMA grant allowed the City to mount a mental health response to this deeply disquieting disaster. But for all the mental health professionals in NYC, and there were many, very few were skilled in fostering resilience and trauma counseling. Had Joanna Harper’s book, The Trauma Informed Coach, been in print, we could have used it to equip counsellors and coaches with the cardinal skills needed to best serve those in need. It is now. Don’t miss it
Lloyd I Sederer, MD, Former Mental Health Commissioner for NYC; former Chief Medical Officer for the NYS Office of Mental Health. USA.
This is such an important book for coaches. Coaching is so valued for its primary focus on the client’s present and future. Yet often issues may be driven by past events, many of which can involve trauma. This book provides an invaluable roadmap for identifying these issues and compassionately navigating a safe and effective route for the client to find their way to solutions. Highly recommended.”
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Dr Phil Parker, Lead lecturer in Coaching at London Metropolitan University and Designer of the Lightning Process. UK
A most valuable contribution to the field by Joanna Harper that examines and outlines the different ways of approaching the traumatised individual in a manner that alleviates the suffering that is all too common in our modern world."
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Andrew T. Austin, Developer of Integral Eye Movement Techniques (IEMT). UK.
Comprehensive, practical and timely, this book addresses one of the biggest challenges of our time. In our highly and pervasively traumatized world, many people have lost their compass, feel broken into pieces and hopelessly cut off from one another. Joanna proposes a unique, unconventional trauma-informed whole-person coaching approach tapping into her extensive experience and practical coaching wisdom. Undoubtedly, this book is for coaches who need the best, most reliable and inspiring guidance."
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Jean Bosco Niyonzima, MD, MA, Co-founder and Executive Director, Ubuntu Center for Peace, Rwanda.
Vital reading for all coaches working with traumatised populations. Whether your clients are veterans of military warzones or familial warzones this book will give you the tools to create a trauma-sensitive practice for them all."
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Charlie Morley, Sleep Coach to military veterans and bestselling author of “Wake up to Sleep” UK.
Finally, a detailed practical guide! Recent years have seen many popular books on the evolving, underlying philosophies involved in approaching trauma… but what Harper has created is a rare trinity; comprehensive, in-depth, but, most importantly, applied. She has deftly isolated and delineated models and tools required for contemporary trauma-informed coaching. Hard-won insights from years of impassioned exploration, distilled into a well-structured, must-have toolkit for coaches – this book will save you years of searching!”
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Tom Granger, author of “Draw Breath; The Art of Breathing” UK.
This book is an absolute gem for anyone in a coaching and/or supporting role to enhance the quality of your work. Joanna's years of personal work, practice and wisdom shines through. She offers a clear trauma-informed pathway of working intelligently, kindly and safely and beautifully explains the value and importance of compassionate co-regulation and deep listening.”
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Jyoti Jo Manuel, developer of the Special Yoga methodology. UK
What a wealth of practical advice, common sense and expertise all in one place. As you learn to coach the temptation is to look for policy, practice and processes to follow. Trauma doesn’t fit process. Each person is unique. To be safe around trauma we need a depth of understanding, awareness and options and this book beautifully talks through that, offering grounding and safety for coaches to make wise decisions in their practice. This is the first and only book I have come across of its type and I will absolutely recommend it as essential reading for all new coaches I train as I wish I had had this available earlier in my coaching journey.”
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– Dr Suzanne Henwood, Neuroscience Based Coach and Counsellor. New Zealand.
An awareness of trauma and its impact is essential if we, as human beings, are to understand ourselves and each other. ‘The Trauma-Informed Coach’ is a ground-breaking guide that brings trauma awareness into mainstream coaching in a way which emphasises coach and client safety, respects professional boundaries, and is grounded in a deep understanding of the impact of trauma on the body. Joanna’s whole-person and compassionate work draws together real life client journeys, powerful practice models (such as the ’trauma tree’ inspired by her client, Marcus), and wide-ranging approaches including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mindfulness. It is potentially game-changing for practitioners looking to deepen their professional practice and support clients to achieve long-lasting positive change.”
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Jenny Oklikah, Coach and CEO of an international non-profit
Joanna Harper uses her skill as an expert trainer to offer a wealth of tools and information in a way that makes it all feel like simple common sense. A compassionate and educated way to expect and manage the unexpected in your client work. This book is an essential read for any coach or therapist new to the concept of being trauma-informed.”
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Cheryl White, author of “So now I’m a Practitioner? Help!” UK.
As a coach it’s highly likely that you’ll find yourself working with clients who have experienced trauma in their life. However, understanding the complexities of trauma and knowing how to work with it are sorely neglected parts of most coach training syllabuses.
The Trauma-Informed Coach sets out to fill this critical gap and succeeds in doing so. This comprehensive book will give you confidence, knowledge, skills and tools so you can better support your clients and enable their progress towards a richer life. The models included are clever and useful, not only in working with trauma but in coaching practice more widely, while the case studies and story-telling brings the concepts to life.
A must-have for any serious coaching professional.”
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