Mary Ellen Copeland applies the hands-on format that helped thousands overcome depression using her Depression Workbook to one of today's most pervasive problems: loneliness. Taking seniors, singles, and others through the steps necessary to relieve loneliness in the short run, the book also helps map out long-range goals for developing better relationship skills, reaching out for support, joining community activities, and fostering intimate relationships.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
useful, but a workbook cannot do everything:
I found the workbook useful, sensitive and clear guide. However, not all problems are solvable by self-help workbooks. Relating lonliness to one's own person is appropriate. Recent work by Dr. Katherien Fiori of the Max Plank Institute suggests that lonliness has a genetic component - it is the common lot of humanity that merely winning friends and influencing people is not enough. As a chaplain, I find the only fulfilling response to lonliness is a spiritual awakening.
Not What I Expected:
I'm glad the other reviewer found this book useful, but I'm afraid I didn't. I found the author's advice simplistic and naive. She seems to believe that a simple resolution to have only nice thoughts about oneself will drive out self-doubt and self-criticism, and that resolving to improve one's social skills is the same thing as actually doing it. (How the reader is supposed to identify these deficits specifically enough to eliminate them, with no feedback from others, is another story...) If this... more info
Enlightening.....:
This book is wonderful. It touches upon everything that is important for making, reconnecting, and maintaining friendships. The author has done a wonderful job making the reader feel confortable, confident, and loved on their journey. I give this book five stars. Anyone who reads this book will benefit.
