To gain a perspective on helping, let us listen in on a session between a helper and an adolescent helpee who is plagued by physical illnesses:
| Helpee: | Things are so bad. |
| Helper: | You’re really desperate. |
| Helpee: | I’m afraid I may do something bad to myself. |
| Helper: | You’re scared because you’re at the end of your rope. |
| Helpee: | I’ve lost all my friends. |
| Helper: | You’re lost and alone. |
| Helpee: | I’m failing at everything that I’m doing. |
| Helper: | You’re losing control of everything. |
| Helpee: | Now everyone sees me only in terms of my illnesses. |
| Helper: | You’re furious because they don’t treat you as a whole person. |
| Helpee: | I admit that I haven’t managed my own illness. |
| Helper: | You’re disappointed because ... |
Get The Art of Helping now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience live online training, plus books, videos, and digital content from nearly 200 publishers.
