Helping Skills Training
For Nonprofessional Counselors
Learn what to say and do to support others through difficult times.
GET COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
Foundational skills for nonprofessional, everyday helpers—like YOU!
This book is for:
everyday helpers, including anyone wanting to become a better helper and listener for family and friends
helping professions, such as coaches, teachers, pastors, mentors, and advisors
unlicensed mental health workers, technicians, and support specialists
human support professionals, including educators, managers, and health and human services
You’ll Learn to “SWIM”:
Support
Learn empathy and active listening skills to provide support, express compassion, and create safety for continued discussion.
Watch
Develop crisis intervention skills to watch for warning signs of mental health emergencies and conduct crisis assessments and referrals when needed.
Investigate
Learn how to investigate by asking better questions and using intake assessment skills to fully understand the person and their concerns.
Modify
Modify concerns by guiding through tailored action, feeling, and thought problem-solving strategies to achieve relief and resolution.
Reviews
“Dr. Elizabeth Campbell has created something truly remarkable—she has created an evidence-based helping skills model whereby carefully reading this book and methodically implementing its steps, anyone can become a nonprofessional helper. The LifeRAFT Model is presented step-by-step in this detailed book, and readers can come away with actual skills by learning about the swim stages, raft strategies, and sail steps. Dr. Campbell has written an important book that will truly lead to making an important positive difference in people’s lives, and we are fortunate that she has generously shared her expertise in this venue.”
“The mental professional manpower shortage in America is enormous. We will never train enough counselors to ease the suffering of all those around us. Waiting until things get bad enough to warrant a referral to a professional is not the answer. The answer lies in this direct, practical, and useful guide to becoming more a thoughtful, caring, and helpful person to those in distress.”
“Dr. Elizabeth Campbell has built a program for nonprofessional counselors upon a foundation of empirical research. Her application is ideal for undergraduate students; those that are going on to mental health professions will gain the essential skills they need and can later build upon, whereas students who pursue other careers will still find these techniques helpful in their everyday lives. This helping skills text also encourages beginning helpers to know the limits of their own competence—a crucial and often overlooked skill. I can’t wait to utilize this resource in my own classroom!”