Crisis Intervention And Trauma Response » (1st Edition)

Barbara Rubin Wainrib, EdD, is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in independent practice in Montreal. Born and raised in New York City, she led her class in the MSc in clinical psychology at McGill University in 1959, and received her EdD in counseling psychology from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 1976.

She has recently retired from her associate professorship at McGill University's Department of Counselor Education and Psychology where she taught graduate level courses in life crisis and trauma, psychosocial oncology, and other topics for over 23 years. She also supervised graduate students in their training program there.

In addition to her many professional publications, she has authored, coauthored, and contributed to several books, including Gender Issues Across the Life Cycle (Springer Publishing, 1992), Crisis Intervention and Trauma Response: Theory and Practice (Springer Publishing, 1998), Prostate Cancer: A Guide for Women and the Men They Love (1996), and Breast Cancer: A Psychological Treatment Manual, edited by Dr. Sandra Haber (Springer Publishing, 1995).

Dr. Wainrib's publications have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and German. She has acted as consultant to groups, organizations, and the international media, and has run hundreds of programs dealing with life crisis, trauma, life-threatening illness, spirituality, and other aspects of psychological skill development for both professionals and laypeople. She has been elected to the National Academies of Practice in Washington, DC, as a "Distinguished Practitioner."

This book contains short term, problem-oriented, therapeutic interventions to produce constructive change in the life situation of the client as quickly and directly as possible. The authors encourage therapists to focus on clients' inner strengths rather than on pathologies that need to be fixed to help clients cope.

Tracy Smith-Simko

In this book, the authors examine human responses to trauma and to the traumatized, describe approaches to crisis response, and offer a theoretically-based model of intervention based on observed individual differences integrating work in these areas. Both scholarly and hands-on perspectives are offered; these are based upon the different but complementary clinical backgrounds of the two authors and their extensive work in the field of crisis intervention. Experiential exercises designed to sensitize readers to their own experiences of traumatization or crisis are provided with the goal of helping the reader develop effective, generalizable intervention skills that focus on the client's unique inner strengths and capabilities. Given this goal, and the fact that people are often called upon to work in this area with minimal or no training, the objectives are commendable and useful. This is a good introduction to traumatology for students and a valuable resource for practitioners who do not regularly work in this field. It may also serve as a reminder to experienced professionals of the need for introspection during circumstances that demand client focus. It also contains exercises and techniques designed to reduce the incidence of inappropriately pathologizing clients appropriate for all readers, regardless of experience. The authors base their philosophies in their own work, evidenced by the descriptions and examples provided of their own training, experiences, and encountered difficulties. Strengths of this book include its workbook form, its descriptions of the impact of trauma/crisis and of the responses often chosen, assessment procedures (particularly the sections on suicideand violence), and its coverage of the pragmatics involved in this model. However, the authors choose to sacrifice depth for breadth. Covering so many scenarios makes the book difficult to follow at times as it switches rather abruptly from topic to topic. Thus, careful reading and considerable time digesting the material are required. Relevant references are included with each chapter.