How to Fail As a Therapist: 50 Ways to Lose or Damage Your Patients (Practical Therapist)

Book Description

Depending on which study you read, between 20 and 57 percent of psychotherapy patients do not return after their initial session. Another thirty-seven to 45 percent only attend therapy twice. A follow-up study on dropouts found that most clinicians had no idea why their patients had terminated, whereas their clients could define very specific "therapeutic errors." Clients who dropout early display poor treatment outcomes, over-utilize mental health services, and demoralize clinicians.

It doesn't have to be that way. There are a number of well-researched strategies which have been proven to reduce dropout rates and increase positive treatment outcomes. How to Fail as a Therapist is a manual for practicing clinicians and clinicians-in-training, detailing the fifty most common errors therapists make, and how to avoid them. Therapists will learn to avoid such failures as not recognizing one's limitations, performing incomplete assessments, ignoring science, ruining the client relationship, setting improper boundaries, terminating improperly, therapist burnout, and more.

Customer Reviews:

How to Fail as a Therapist.......2007-03-11

This a great book, for trainee and newly graduated therapist.

Very good .......2006-11-18

This book deals concisely with what it says on the cover and, makes specific recommendations based on the mistakes it identifies.

SUMMARY
=========
The 50 mistakes are as follows

1 Failing to recognise our limitations as therapists
2 Failing to address client expectations about therapy
3 Failing to inspect the client's previous experience with psychotherapy
4 Failing to explain the therapist's expectations regarding the therapeutic process
5 Failing to prepare clients for the variety of emotions that therapy can evoke
6 Failing to enhance client expectations of success
7 Failing to understand how our assumptions affect (sic) therapeutic practices
8 Ignoring the client's "state-of-change" or commitment level
9 Failing to assess psychological reactance (the patient's receptiveness/resistance to the therapist's formulations)
10 Underutilising clinical assessment instruments
11 Failing to challenge client "self-diagnosis"
12 Failing to assess for the possibility of organic medical conditions
13 Ignoring patient resources
14 Disregarding the data
15 Attending to the messenger and not the message
16 Achieving theoretical rigor mortis
17 Setting goals unilaterally
18 Failing to Develop Collaborative Goals in Early Sessions
19 Failing to include the client in setting session agendas
20 Emphasising technique over relationship building
21 Failing to communicate sufficient empathy and other signs of support
22 Believing that empathy and unconditional positive regard means liking your patient
23 Failing to elicit feedback on the alliance
24 Ignoring the patient's verbal and nonverbal feedback
25 Responding defensively to negative patient feedback
26 Overidentifying with the patient
27 Allowing inappropriate levels of physical intimacy
28 Having boundaries that are too rigid
29 Making inappropriate levels of therapist self-disclosure
30 Failing to set boundaries for out-of-session client therapist contact
31 Developing the "Out of session activity" unilaterally
32 Failing to adequately prepare clients for the assignment
33 Failing to provide backup support to increase compliance
34 Failing to prepare the patient for attitude change
35 Relying on passive learning strategies
36 Failing to attend to the client's core beliefs
37 Failing to explain that attitudes are not fixed beliefs
38 Responding passively to the client's unproductive behaviours
39 Responding in an aggressive or insensitive way
40 Failing to prepare clients in advance for the possibility of medication
41 Failing to be prepared for client objections, concerns and resistance to medication
42 Failing to discuss termination early in therapy
43 Failing to follow proper termination procedures
44 Confusing termination with abandonment
45 Failing to be prepared to deal with the myth of time limited therapy
46 Failure to monitor one's own well-being
47 Failure to balance work and leisure
48 Ignore the comfort zone of the environment
49 Overspecialising
50 Undervaluing the power of human resiliency

The ways, that I found helpful, to avoid the mistakes are summarised below.

HISTORY
* Ask about the good/bad bits of the last session (23)
* Ask about good elements of the session (2, 23)
* Ask about bad elements of the session (2, 23)
* Past experiences media and friends who have had therapy (2)
* Past experiences with other therapists: duration, ending, relationship, best bit, worst bit, what should be changed, treatment too fast/slow (3)
* "What do you think is likely to happen as a result of your treatment?" (6)
* Assess change stage: "Who in your life is most concerned about this problem?" "What have you done or thought about doing about this problem." "How long has this problem been a concern?" Use a "readiness ruler" (actually a visual-analogue scale) of the patient's commitment to change
* Methodological search for patient's strengths (13)
* To prioritise treatment goals: what difficulties are the problems causing, what might happen in the future, what goals might someone in your position have, which goal fit/do not fit you? (17)
* To increase personal efficacy: when have you been able to shake off the problem, how have other people you have seen done it, in your fantasies how did you tackle the problem? (17)
* To increase commitment to change: how would life be better/worse, get support from? (17)

MENTAL STATE EXAMINATION
* Assess for reactance: interruptions, arguing, off-task comments, negative responses.
* Note what is not being said (17)
* Note: eye contact, disclosing less, greetings warmth (24)

FORMAL TESTING
* State of change assessment tool McConnaghy et al (in the book) (7)
* The Hong Kong Scale of Psychological Reactance (in the book) (9)
* Use a counselor satisfaction questionnaire (one in the book and other suggestions) (23)

ASSESSMENT
* Discloser/nondiscloser person (5)
* Shutdown/unaware of their feelings (5)
* Distraction used to cope with emotions (5)
* Belief system: people trustworthy/not trustworthy, locus of control, altruism/selfishness, people complex/simple
* Use the HRS instrument to assess homework barriers (33)

MANAGEMENT
* Inform a trusted colleague when you feel you made an error (1)
* Educate about collaboration (2, 17), treatment approach, duration, termination (2, 42), door-knob disclosures (4), painful emotions might be evoked (5), exposure therapy (32)
* Identify obstacle to exposure (32)
* Prioritise session goals (4)
* Set treatment goals (17) early in treatment (18) and early in sessions (19)
* State the goal even if it seems very obvious (19)
* Recognise that for some patients the goal is to develop a goal (19)
* Leave time at the end of sessions to clarify goals (18)
* Do not assume that the obvious goal is the patient's goal (18)
* Accept "baby steps" (6)
* Low directiveness and high collaborative for those with high psychological reactance and vise versa (9)
* Identify times when the patient has been successful, in therapy and life (13)
* Have the patient record how many times they resisted the impulse to drink and not just if they drank or not (for example) (13)
* Enhance your credibility by describing experience with other cases (20)
* Do not be overly formal (20)
* Convey positive regard (20)
* Carl Rogers 3 imperatives: unconditional pr, therapist congruence and empathic understanding (21)
* Act in accordance with the fact that you probably feel you are being more empathic than the patient thinks you are (21)
* Ask oneself: do I need to hear more of what the patient is feeling and do I need to imagine how I would feel in this situation in order to connect? (21)
* Connect with the person behind the repulsive behaviour (22)
* Recognise that from strengths, not weakness, change will come (22)
* Imagine the emotion leading to a different outcome (22)
* Make patient feel safe to voice their concerns (25)
* Admit your fallibility (25)
* Use any rupture in the relationship (25)
* Do not attempt to rescue (ie do more than is appropriate) (26)
* Some self-disclosure but stop a LONG way short of matching the patient (29)
* Brainstorm the hierarchy then the patient orders it (31)
* Enhance compliance with home work with: post it notes, getting someone else to encourage them, do the activity with someone else, frame the assignments as experiments, leave little to chance (33)
* Made assertive communications as needed
* Make firm rules for therapy behaviour especially for couples therapy (39)
* Tell people if their behaviour will not help treatment (39)
* Terminate if: poor progress, patient not willing, patient too hard, conflict of interest (42)
* Do a summary session no matter who decides to terminate therapy of if it is planned (42)
* Do not terminate during a crisis, for your sake alone or quickly (44)
* Note that with the exception of father daughter incest, as a group, those with traumatic events are only slightly worse off than those without the events
* Have a phone call made to patients to confirm the (first) appointment.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
* Compare your termination rate with the norm (1)
* Remember "Perfection is the enemy of the good."
* Do we believe people can change? (7)
* What is our belief system/how do we regard strangers (7)
* Use Wrightsman's Philosophy of Human Nature Scale (in the book) (7)
* Remember that charismatic teacher are not always right (14, 15)
* Humility (1, 16)
* Read stuff (16)
* Get therapy (26)
* Identify the patients who push your buttons (39)
* At professional development meetings, share how you are coping (46)
* Take the Maslach Burnout Inventory (1981)
* Note if you are irritable with patients, have less interest in your profession, procrastinate at work or have scheduling with no breaks
* Don't overspecialise

REVIEW
=======
Like the person who wrote the book's foreword, I do not agree with everything in the book. For example, they say never to give out your mobile number, they make a scatty troubleshoot of rational emotive therapy (the difference between attitudes and core beliefs in not important, and doing RET well will avoid the pitfalls they mention), and their retelling of the African Violet Queen story is almost certainly inaccurate (I suspect they did this to avid exaggerating the story).

Their treatment of countertransference was a scatty too. They do not use the term "identify" correctly or define it. They state "recognise that working effectively with patients does not mean that you `feel their pain.'" It is not made clear if this statement is an ideal or a likely outcome of treatment. Unfortunately it is the human condition that unless you are profoundly autistic you will find yourself mirroring the patient's emotions - it is silly of them to skirt around this fact.

On page 50, they state "the misconception here is that having positive regard for someone equates to liking the person." Well, technically that true. But the authors ignore the fact that its pretty damn close. I think the authors own boundaries are too rigid. They discuss a junior therapist getting (psychodynamic sounding!) therapy for overidentification or fusion with a patient but steer clear of pointing out that therapists enter into a real, emotional relationship with their patients and that this can be done safely. In most settings, if you don't like someone, you don't have to and/or should not treat them.

The authors also reccomend professional development by reading journals. I recon that books much better; they might be 5 years out of date but at least the information is presented in such a way that you have a hope of keeping up. Likewise the authors reccomend PubMed as a way of keeping up with medications. This is absolutely not a good idea at all. Read a general, introductory book or ask someone about them.

A must-read!.......2006-08-01

It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend How to Fail as a Therapist. Rarely, indeed, does a small book contain such large volume of relevant clinical information. It spans orientations and levels of training/experience on the therapist's side, and diagnoses/ exposure to therapy on the side of clients. As noted by the authors, as well as reviewers on the back cover, this manual is intended for therapists-in-training and for seasoned therapists alike. In this reviewer's opinion, this little book should receive a must-read place in graduate programs for clinical professionals at all levels.

The chapter divisions and titles of specific therapist errors make this manual especially valuable to use as a reference book when self-examination points to omissions/commissions in one's clinical work. Like all good teachers, Schwartz and Flowers have not only articulated a wide range of clinical pitfalls (supported by meticulous research), but also offer ideas (as integral part of the book) and tools (in the appendixes) towards their avoidance or remedy.

Proactive avoidance of many of these errors is the self-evident best use of this manual, and the authors give ample assistance with relevant examples and assessment tools. However, even more valuable to this reader is the comfort that if therapy feels "stuck",
this book can be used as a quick reference for how to "unstick" the therapy process (providing, of course, that it is not too late!). Beyond such future usefulness, reading How to Fail catapulted this clinician to do a first sorting of her own therapy behaviors into a personal list of: (1) "Ooops, I vaguely remember that one but am not doing it"; (2) "Ouch, I am not paying adequate attention to that one; and (3) "glad that I am OK doing this one (more often than not)" etc. Over and above such listing in progress (with the promise to self to make changes!), this clinician revised her intake form to include questions regarding prior therapy (when, how long, issues and outcome) and treatment expectations.

Lastly, echoing the focus by the authors on human resilience, it is reasonable to hope that even with the commission of the occasional therapy error we not only forgive ourselves these professional shortcomings, but that most of our clients do also (and stay in therapy to benefit from their hard work, in spite of our imperfections.)

Monika Davignon, Ph.D., MFT

Choosing Plant Combinations: 501 beautiful ways to mix and match color and shape in the garden (Better Homes & Gardens)

Average customer rating:

Stunningly beautiful

Choosing Plant Combinations: 501 beautiful ways to mix and match color and shape in the garden (Better Homes & Gardens)
Better Homes and Gardens Books
Manufacturer: Better Homes and Gardens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0696210142

Amazon.com

For those gardeners intimidated by the thought of planning color symphonies, creating color echoes, or applying any color theory to the garden as a whole, Choosing Plant Combinations will come as a welcome relief. Granted, color is the single most important effect gardeners work with--nothing is more important to the first impression a garden gives and the emotional response it evokes. However, color can be a challenge to work with, as it depends greatly on surrounding colors, quality of light, and individual perception.

The author, Cathy Wilkinson Barash, describes her book as "a non-designer's garden design book." Her idea, and it is a good one, is that pleasing gardens are built combination by combination. You don't need an overall scheme, but rather dozens of workable combos of two or three plants that, seen as a whole, make up a garden. All plants are clearly identified in 250 full-color photographs that illustrate ideas for effective combinations. Barash also explores the role colored and variegated foliages, architecturally shaped plants, and ornamental grasses play in creating pleasing, long-lasting combinations.

While the book's design (graphically lively to the point of excess) itself is questionable, the photographs are nevertheless lovely and may inspire gardeners to experiment, loosen up, and help them to worry less about using color. Nothing can set a mood or enliven a garden more than the bold use of color and form, and Barash's new book provides plenty of ideas to encourage gardeners to do just that, one plant combination at a time. --Valerie Easton

Book Description

This book does the homework for anyone who wants to create a beautiful garden but lacks the time to plan and design. It helps readers achieve maximum effect with minimum effort, with examples of combinations in the book for a bold or subdued look.

Gorgeous, full-color photographs of different plant combinations based on color and form.

Plant combinations shown give optimum effect using the aesthetics of color and form—including single color, bold color, subtle color, similar form, subtle form, and bold form.

Suggests alternative plants that give the same look and add to the regional diversity of the plant material included.

Combinations are adaptable to all regions of America.

Includes complete cultural information and mail-order sources for every plant shown.

Customer Reviews:

Stunningly beautiful.......2000-03-24

If you're looking for inspiration, this is a gorgeous book. Packed with beautiful photos and unusual plant combinations.

I've been too busy drooling at the photos to read, but this is one of the most beautiful-to-look-at gardening books I've seen this year.

Ideal if you are trying to design around a colour scheme, or just want inspiration to get started.

Average customer rating:
Painting Flowers the Van Wyk Way
Helen Van Wyk
Manufacturer: Art Instruction Assoc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Still Life | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Helen Van Wyk's Favorite Color Recipes

Color Mixing the Van Wyk Way: A Manual for Oil Painters

Welcome to My Studio: Adventures in Oil Painting

Helen Van Wyk's Favorite Color Recipes 2 (Favorite Color Recipes)

Oil Painting Secrets from a Master

ASIN: 0929552121

Book Description

This beloved artist and teacher shares her proven technique for painting vivid floral arrangements.

Amazon.com

Setting a stunning table need not be confined to special occasions. As renowned author and designer Barbara Milo Ohrbach brilliantly demonstrates, any meal can be made special with the proper visual approach. The ingredients need not be fine china and matching silver; the real key is to develop a creative look for your table. Tabletops is filled with gorgeous color photos and thorough explanations on how to find inspiration, play with color, make and/or coordinate accessories, arrange flowers, and find and add the right decorative touches.

Book Description

Hospitality is the art of generously welcoming guests into your home, and Barbara Milo Ohrbach's Tabletops will make this a delightful experience for all to share.

Whether you are having a party, sitting down with friends and family, or celebrating a holiday, the pleasures of eating at a beautiful table help to make the meal truly memorable. In this book, Ms. Ohrbach, the best-selling author of fourteen books, including The Scented Room, Antiques at Home, and Simply Flowers, brings a fresh and creative eye to the art of decorating tables with flowers, fruits, leaves, and other wonderful objects. Filled with beautiful photographs and simple how-to's, Tabletops offers recipes, clever ideas, and practical solutions for everyday entertaining, parties, and special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

With her usual clarity and style, Ms. Ohrbach explains how to coordinate linens, china, and silverware so that everything works together. She demonstrates how to accent the table with accessories like candles, napkin rings, and place cards, and includes easy how-to projects, many of which can be done with children. She reveals effortless techniques for taking the mystery out of flower arranging and discusses how to choose the right container for any event. She shares her enthusiasm for visiting places like historic homes, flower shows, restaurants, and farmers' markets that can inspire fresh ideas for creating wonderful tabletops. And finally, Ms. Ohrbach provides a handy international source guide that reveals her favorite places to shop and explore in Europe and the United States. Tabletops will inspire anyone who loves flowers and entertaining, and it is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys setting a beautiful table.

In Tabletops, best-selling author Barbara Milo Ohrbach reveals simple yet spectacular ideas for decorating beautiful tables for both entertaining and everyday use. Illustrated with more than 275 full-color photographs, Tabletops offers practical tips and easy how-to projects for setting the table and for creating centerpieces and individual flower arrangements for your home, parties, holidays, special occasions, and more.

Customer Reviews:

useless.......2006-04-18

This book has no useful information in it. The pictures are pretty, but I don't spend good money on a book just to look at the pictures. Even the ideas aren't all that creative. If I had cupboards full of antiques and drawers full of beautiful linens, I wouldn't need a book to tell me how to use them. Other, better books show the same techniques and ideas, and show them with materials more easily available to us mere mortals.

The example that really did me in was the little girl's birthday party... with crocheted lace doilies on the drinks glasses, and all the little girls in Edwardian-style lace dresses. PLEASE! You want an example of a pretty child's birthday party, get the Shabby Chic entertaining book.

No new ideas for a woman of culture.......2005-01-12

I regret this purchase. As one reviewer said, this is just a coffetable book. It doesnt introduce any new idea to an educated woman. Who cant roll a napkin and tie a ribbon on it ??? It doesnt take a professional caterer to know that !!! Funny, but an out of print 1960's cookbook by Mary and Vincent Price ``A Treasury.....'' showed far more intricate, elegant, and exquisite napkin foldings. The utensils showed in Tabletops are not even for very dining ! Worse, an old item was made to pass off as an antique centerpiece and I am a professional antique collector. I lived in Europe and this book does not deserve space in any European home or library. What I saw here, I see frequently in crafts store windows in small towns. DONT BUY. I got instead ``Perfect Setting'' by Peri Wolfman (?) and finally, I got something intelligent with truly new ideas to captivate an intelligent woman. At best, give this book to a grade school kid.

Use as coffee table book only.......2004-12-10

The author uses many of her antiques to decorate the table which is nice if you own any yourself. Many ideas were very "english", maybe a little too elegant, not the kind of book for someone looking for different ideas using everyday items or at least items you can find in everyday stores. Nice coffee table book but not easy to recreate her tabletops.

Good basics, easy to follow.......2003-10-18

Great pictures and a great way to get started entertaining. Also, easy and inexpensive ideas wtih decoration (flowers, etc. you can get right from your own garden)

Check it out at the Library first.......2001-09-22

I'm glad I didn't "buy" this book and went to the Library
first. I was looking for more "whimsical" ideas and the
ones offered in this book seem to be the basic, traditional
ones.

Opium Poppy Garden: The Way of a Chinese Grower

Average customer rating:

Ancient Chinese Secrets
A young man's opium adventure.
Way of an ornamentalist

Opium Poppy Garden: The Way of a Chinese Grower
Griffith
Manufacturer: Ronin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Agronomy | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Crop Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0914171674

Customer Reviews:

Ancient Chinese Secrets.......2006-01-11

The opium poppy is a potent plant that has been cultivated and used for thousands of years to alleviate suffering. The use of plant substances as alternatives to synthetic medicines is resurging due to their beneficial properties and less-toxic side effects. For example, many cancer and HIV sufferers are growing opium for personal use.
Opium Poppy Garden is the only book available that describes the cultivation, harvest, and pharmacology of opium in a format that combines literary and instructional writing. The heart of the book is a tale of Che'ien, a young Chinese man who travels from Costa Rica to Columbia to grow an opium garden in the manner his Taoist grandfather taught him. The story, in conjuction with "The Cultivator's Diary" and the techniccal appendix, provide the reader with a working knowledge of this plant,

A young man's opium adventure........2002-07-08

I really liked the mix of a story of a young man's first adventure away from country and family, and the technical information needed to cultivate the opium poppy. It gave me a sense of tranquility to his endeavor, not as if it were a clandestine operation. It spoke of the roots his and other families had in this way of life. Of course, it gives you all the information you need for your own adventure. I hope there is a sequel.

Way of an ornamentalist.......2000-02-10

A lovely tale of a young Chinese immigrant in South America offeres some insight to the "way of a Chinese Grower" and what the culture is like... The second half of the book goes into considerable detail as to how to cultivate the poppy, albeit on a quasi large-scale endeavor- not really for the ornamental grower. Excellent depth into pharmacologic properties, particularly chemical structure of medicinal components and traditional harvesting methods and tools.

Fine Flowers by Phone: ...Finally, a Way to Send Flowers Long Distance With Confidence...

Average customer rating:

B Brooks Fine Flowers
love the book and I found them online
Excellent Resource for sending gifts and flowers
The "Zagat" for sending the best flowers around the world!

Fine Flowers by Phone: ...Finally, a Way to Send Flowers Long Distance With Confidence...

Manufacturer: B Brooks Fine Flowers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flower Arranging | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Directories | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0965608204

Customer Reviews:

B Brooks Fine Flowers.......2006-03-06

Barbera Brooks has also created an online flower wire service to send flowers all around the world. She has over 500 florists. I have sent succesfully flowers to London, Colorado, Wyoming, New York, Washington DC, Massachusetts, California, and other places.

love the book and I found them online.......2003-09-24

wow, this book is so great. I'm also very excited because Barbara is now running a high end flower wire service called B Brooks Fine Flowers, simple and easy and my mom REALLY loved her flowers I sent for her for Mothers day. www.bbrooks.com

Excellent Resource for sending gifts and flowers.......1998-10-28

I used the first edition of this book for many years. I found her comments to be accurate and her recommendations to beat FTD by miles. I have used this book to send flowers all over the US. Each and every time I use someone she recommends I get a call back asking,"How did you find such a beautiful florist?". I am looking for the updated editon, as some of the people she knew in 1989 have gone out of business. I am looking forward to an expanded and updated list, as I'm betting that many more cities are covered.

The "Zagat" for sending the best flowers around the world!.......1997-10-21

As a connoisseur of flowers, this book is an invaluable source. It has made gift giving easy. People call me and rave about the flowers I send.

Average customer rating:

Review of Water's Way

Water's Way: Life along the Chesapeake
Tom Horton
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0801864267

Book Description

Those who know and love the Chesapeake will find the bay they treasure on the pages of Water's Way: Life along the Chesapeake. The story of one of North America's most fascinating regions unfolds through the sensitive photographs and prose of two men who have studied the Chesapeake all their lives. Photographer David W. Harp and writer Tom Horton vividly portray how, as Horton writes, "the edges where land and water meet charm us all, from watermen to watercolorists and beachcombers to duck hunters."

Water's Way will guide you to "those rare, hidden nooks of the bay country where nature still appears as glorious and untrammeled as it did a thousand years ago." It will also take you to less hidden, but equally intriguing sites within the Chesapeake's reach as Harp and Horton depict the worlds of both nature and humans.

An intimate knowledge of and an unwavering reverence for the bay pervade Water's Way. Harp and Horton are as attuned to the romance that still clings to the Chesapeake as they are to the realities that inspire and threaten it. In a time when the region faces tremendous changes and challenges, Water's Way is neither strident nor sentimental. Rather, it is suffused with the fundamental respect for the bay which Harp and Horton see as key to its survival.

"Dave Harp's photography and Tom Horton's text are nothing short of inspirational. Through the combination of each man's art, Water's Way communicates the beauty and essence of the Chesapeake like no other book. It conveys the very reasons why I have dedicated my life's work to saving the bay."--William Baker, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

"Three forces have been hard at work in the making of this exquisite piece: the gentle and informed eye of Dave's camera, Tom's inspirited love affair with our language, and the mystery they conspire in, creating a vivid picture and genuine portrait of a life that is greater than ourselves."--Tom Wisner, author of Chesapeake Born

"Harp's photographs, gorgeously reproduced here... have, I think, finally surpassed the late Aubrey Bodine's famously romantic shots of the Chesapeake."--John Goodspeed, Easton Star-Democrat

"Tom Horton has a poet's touch and a realist's frankness as he writes of the delicate ecology of this great aquatic system in chapters whose subjects range from the role of marshes to the life of the watermen to the growing pressures of urban development... This book is a singing tribute to the bay."--Islands Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Review of Water's Way.......2000-08-12

Water's Way is a stunningly photographed, and exquisitely written glimpse of life in the Chesapeake region. The book celebrates beauty, both in the natural and human worlds. Author Tom Horton's essays are insightful, humorous, and well-crafted. His words flow like the many creeks and rivers that he describes on the Delmarva peninsula. Dave Harp's photography defines the people, animals, and landscape in such concert with Horton's words that the book should be considered the National Geographic of the Eastern Shore. This a worthy addition to anyone's coffee table.

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Michi, Japanese Arts and Ways, V. 4)

Average customer rating:

Blends theory and practise
Accessible Meditation
Accessible Meditation
Accessible and informative
Awesome and Unique

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Michi, Japanese Arts and Ways, V. 4)
H. E. Davey
Manufacturer: Stone Bridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Meditation | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Spiritual | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

ASIN: 188065671X

Book Description

Ikebana and tea, karate and calligraphy-what do these traditional Japanese arts have in common? All represent different forms of training and practice, but all stem from shared principles of spiritual practice, moving meditation, and beauty. With practical examples and easy-to-follow exercises, this book concisely introduces 45 living concepts of the Way, from "wabi" and the "immovable mind" to "respect" and "duty," explaining their traditional Japanese roots and also how to incorporate them into our daily lives for greater serenity, concentration, and creativity.

H. E. Davey is Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts.

Customer Reviews:

Blends theory and practise.......2003-06-01

What becomes abundantly clear as one reads through this bok is that H.E. Davey writes from experience. He has practised several of the "ways" to a very high level, and he is able to write about his experiences in a readable, almost conversational manner. He sees quite deeply into the heart of Japanese culture, taking the reader along a path of understanding and discovery as he presents the key concepts of that tradition. In addition to the text, the marginal reminders and definitions of the key concepts reinforce what one has already encountered in the text, and serve as a glossary of important terms. Davey provides exercizes to try at home, as well. All in all, this is a first-rate book -- helpful, accessible, accurate, and often profound.

Accessible Meditation.......2003-05-16

H.E. Davey excels at communicating an approach for the Westerner to Japanese concepts of universality, aesthetics, and human spirituality. Written in a very accessible form, this book is an excellent introduction to those topics for the beginner; as well as being a great reference book for those already practicing any form of meditation, martial art, or fine art. Full of concrete descriptions of ideas and relationships that often go mute in Western culture. Read it over and over!

Accessible Meditation.......2003-05-16

Accessible and informative.......2003-02-25

Davey provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the principles and aesthetic qualities that characterize the Japanese arts. Ideal for Westerners interested in Japanese arts, particularly those who have practiced an art for some time and are looking to go beyond merely practicing the form and delve into the spiritual dimensions embodied in these arts. Highly recommended.

Awesome and Unique.......2003-02-13

This book is unique in that it gives Westerners a comprehensive insight into Japanese arts and ways. Not many are able to capture something so inangible as Japanese aesthics as well as Davey. A great read.

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!

Average customer rating:

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.

The Art of Perennial Gardening: Creative Ways with Hardy Flowers

Average customer rating:

one of my favorites
ONE OF THE BEST GARDENING DESIGN BOOKS!
Written with humor and clarity. EXCELLENT.
An excellent gardening book!

The Art of Perennial Gardening: Creative Ways with Hardy Flowers
Patrick Lima
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1552092194

Book Description

In The Art of Perennial Garding Patrick Lima shares the secrets and strategies he has gleaned from gardening in Ontario's Burce Peninsula, bringing a seasoned, pragmatic perspective to his latest work. Beautifully illustrated, inspiring and often humorous, this book is infused with that staple of good gardening: the promise of what is possible. The author offers hundreds of solutions and options for the perennial garden, suggesting plant combinations for every phase of the growing season. Whether you're cajoling a tiny backyard plot into beauty or facing a landscape of intimidating proportions, Lima has much to teach both the novice and the seasoned gardener about the creative act of garden-making.

Customer Reviews:

one of my favorites.......2001-08-22

i originally borrowed this book from the library and wound up re-borrowing it so much that i decided to buy it (a rarity for me). since then, i keep it in my satchel which is always in reach. i am currently designing and installing a new garden, and many of the combinations i will use are from this book.

the author's comments and experiences are instructive, humorous and well written. indeed, i would not mind reading any writing he might produce.

ONE OF THE BEST GARDENING DESIGN BOOKS!.......1999-11-17

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This book took me from color to design to planning borders so that something is in bloom all the time. The photographs provided identification of plants and I have found myself returning to them again and again to study the author's compositions. I also shared his views on gardening's place in one's life. Highly recommend.

Written with humor and clarity. EXCELLENT........1999-10-21

Patrick Lima is without question my favorite garden writer. He is knowledgable and witty, and really offers comprehensive material for gardening with perennials in a zone 4 region. I can't recommend this book highly enough. John's photos are spectacular.

An excellent gardening book!.......1999-03-16

Patrick Lima and John Scanlan once again have produced a lovely and informative book for gardeners. I am writing from zone 2, where gardening is a challenge! I found many useful ideas, and practical "how-to's". I have read it from cover to cover, and wait eagerly for the snow to melt, so I can try some of their ideas. Buy this book, it is money well spent!

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