Stories and narratives aimed at helping families work through an array of subjects like health, illness, grief, adoption, sexual identity, and school. The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of more than 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing. The Healing Heart ~ Communities focuses on community-building, with sections on youth, violence prevention, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction, racism, elders, culture, environmental protection, homelessness, and community development. Praise for The Healing Heart ~ Families “Both children and adults, sick or well, need the embrace of soulful storytelling. They need to witness and be witnessed, for it is in this state that healing occurs . . . . If newscasters were to read aloud each night to their listeners for 1,001 nights one of the stories from this treasury, we would all be healed and lose our fear, recapturing real security in our homeland.” —N. Michael Murphy, MD, author of The Wisdom of Dying “An extraordinary work . . . . Hit the bulls eye by providing both process and practice. Thought provoking and insightful theory is intertwined with appropriate stories for direct application. It makes clear that story can be a powerful catalyst for change, giving eloquent voice to what many of us have known for some time but have been unable to express. What a gift for those who work with families!” —Elizabeth Ellis, co-author of Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking about Difficult Stories

Stories and narratives aimed at helping families work through an array of subjects like health, illness, grief, adoption, sexual identity, and school. The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of more than 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing. The Healing Heart ~ Communities focuses on community-building, with sections on youth, violence prevention, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction, racism, elders, culture, environmental protection, homelessness, and community development. Praise for The Healing Heart ~ Families “Both children and adults, sick or well, need the embrace of soulful storytelling. They need to witness and be witnessed, for it is in this state that healing occurs . . . . If newscasters were to read aloud each night to their listeners for 1,001 nights one of the stories from this treasury, we would all be healed and lose our fear, recapturing real security in our homeland.” —N. Michael Murphy, MD, author of The Wisdom of Dying “An extraordinary work . . . . Hit the bulls eye by providing both process and practice. Thought provoking and insightful theory is intertwined with appropriate stories for direct application. It makes clear that story can be a powerful catalyst for change, giving eloquent voice to what many of us have known for some time but have been unable to express. What a gift for those who work with families!” —Elizabeth Ellis, co-author of Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking about Difficult Stories

The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of over 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. Included are folk tales, personal stories, articles, exercises, games, songs, and quotations, together with resource lists of stories, books and community agencies focused on similar themes. Essays include information on why storytelling works, approaches for sharing stories in various settings, how to encourage others to tell stories (involving the audience and creating a safe environment for others to storytell), and how to process the story through song, art, games, improvisational story plays, community projects, and discussion. The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing.

Healing by Heart is a book of stories--stories of people's search for culturally responsive health care from U.S. providers. It offers resources to providers and institutions committed to delivering culturally responsive health care, paying special attention to building successful relationships with traditional Hmong patients and families. It makes available extensive information about the health-related beliefs, practices, and values of the Hmong people, including photographs of traditional healing methods. Ranging in age from young infants to older adults, the patients in the stories present a wide range of health problems. The clinicians are from family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, psychiatry/psychology, and hospice. Each of the fourteen case stories is accompanied by discussion questions as well as two or three commentaries. The commentaries--written by patients, family members, shaman, Western clinicians (including Hmong physicians, nurses, and social workers), medical anthropologists, health care ethicists, social workers, psychologists, and clergy--are rich in personal reflections on cross-cultural health care experiences. Readers are rewarded with a combination of perspectives, including those of Hmong authors who have not previously published in English and scholars with years of professional experience working with the Hmong in Laos, Thailand, and the United States. The editors offer a model for delivering culturally responsive health care with special attention to matters of cross-cultural health care ethics. The model identifies questions health care providers can focus on as they seek to understand the health-related moral commitments and practices prevalent in the cultural groups they serve, ethical questions that arise frequently and with great poignancy in cross-cultural health care relationships, and points to consider when a patient's treatment wish challenges the provider's professional integrity. By sharing stories of suffering, confusion, and success, Healing by Heart couples an accessible method of learning about others with concrete recommendations about how to enhance cross-cultural health care relationships.

The prevalence of trauma permeates America’s families, and no one is immune to its impact. Natural disasters, community and institutional violence, adverse childhood experiences—these events impact the developing brains and bodies of our youth. This book for parents and educators pulls together the research on adverse childhood experiences and other traumatic events, positive psychology and resilience to provide parents and educators specific tools to help their trauma-impacted children move from surviving to thriving. Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, Healing the Heart uses evidence-based strategies, inspirational stories and role-playing scenarios to provide parents and educators the information and tools needed to heal the negative impact of traumatic events. With specific strategies to address diverse forms of trauma and diverse populations, this book is a must-read resource for anyone wanting to reestablish safety, increase resilience and help heal the long-term impact of trauma.

A compassionate resource for friends, parents, relatives, teachers, volunteers, and caregivers, this series offers suggestions to help the grieving cope with the loss of a loved one. Often people do not know what to say—or what not to say—to someone they know who is mourning; this series teaches that the most important thing a person can do is listen, have compassion, be there for support, and do something helpful. This volume addresses what to expect from grieving young people, and how to provide safe outlets for children to express emotion. Included in each book are tested, sensitive ideas for “carpe diem” actions that people can take right this minute—while still remaining supportive and honoring the mourner’s loss.

Beliefs are the lenses through which we view the world and the blueprints from which we construct our lives. At no time are family and individual beliefs more affirmed, challenged, or threatened than when illness emerges.But some beliefs are more useful than others. This is the first book to offer a specific clinical approach for examining family members' beliefs and intervening in that area. Drawing on disciplines ranging from religion to anthropology as well as on family therapy and psychology, the authors describe their own advanced practice model. Rich in clinical examples, the book takes readers inside the therapeutic conversation between the clinician and family members to show the model in action. By drawing forth more facilitative beliefs to cope with illness, the authors uncover and expand the therapeutic possibilities for helping and healing families.

A compassionate resource for friends, parents, relatives, teachers, volunteers, and caregivers, this series offers suggestions to help the grieving cope with the loss of a loved one. Often people do not know what to say—or what not to say—to someone they know who is mourning; this series teaches that the most important thing a person can do is listen, have compassion, be there for support, and do something helpful. This volume addresses what to expect from grieving young people, and how to provide safe outlets for teens to express emotion. Included in each book are tested, sensitive ideas for “carpe diem” actions that people can take right this minute—while still remaining supportive and honoring the mourner’s loss.

Every family is hurting, and the wounds that come from our relatives can be deeper than all others. Conflict within a family can range from daily frictions and annoyances to rage and hatred and eventually estrangement. We want things to be different but have no idea where to start. After 25 years of ministering to families, Rob Rienow believes reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel--reconciliation with God and one another. You will come away with specific steps you can take in your relationships with your family members to pursue peace and healing in your homes. Each chapter includes key biblical examples as well as present-day stories of families who have experienced God's help and healing--including the author's own miraculous healing of his relationship with his father. Our families can bring out the best, as well as the worst, in all of us. May this book guide you in making your home and family a blessing in a broken world.

Body, Mind & Spirit / Self-Help This book’s perspective on healing will expand the reader’s vision, beyond the scope of healing as a purely individual and personal matter, to one that spans generations in its scope, crosses racial and cultural barriers and sheds new light on the relationships between victims and perpetrators, be they from governments and regimes, wars, sexual abuse or crime. Payne’s “Orders of Love” describe a natural pattern that has been observed in the practice of Family Constellations--namely, that there is a distinct order stating who belongs and who does not belong, not only in a family system, but also in larger groups such as nations. With its many examples and stories, Payne’s book brings back into belonging those who have been excluded and bridges the gap between the healing of an individual and the healing of family, ethnic and national souls. John L. Payne, also known as Shavasti, has travelled the length and breadth of this globe, firstly in childhood and then in his adult life in search of deeper meaning and experience. His multi-cultural background created a childhood that was spread over three continents and an adult life spent living in Europe, Africa, Central and South America and Asia, with much time being spent in the USA. With the experience of having given more than 400 workshops on 6 continents, you are receiving a wealth of cultural, ethnic and historical experience that makes his work finely tuned for ancestral healing having worked with hundreds of individuals across the globe.