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May
22, 2003:
Helping People In Crisis II
Interview
with Lauren Littauer Briggs author of The
Art Of Helping
Mike
Carruthers:
When someone we know is sick or in the hospital or suffering from
some sort of crisis, in an attempt to help we often say,
Lauren
Littauer Briggs:
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Or "If
there's anything you need, give me a call."
Lauren Littauer
Briggs author of the book The
Art Of Helping.
The reality
is your hurting person will not pick up the phone and tell you
what they need. Instead be specific. Like, "I'm on my way
to the store. What can I pick up for you?" "Would
tomorrow be a good time for me to help you with the laundry?"
"Would the children like to come over and play this afternoon?"
That lets our hurting person know that we care.
Lauren who
has lost two brothers and a child of her own says it's normal
to feel uncomfortable with a person who is hurting.
And we
want to kind of hurry them up past that. We want them better
to return to the previous relationship we had with them. And
what is so important to understand is that once someone's life
has been touched by tragedy, they are never the same. And so
often we want to hurry them along, but instead we need to support
them in their present emotional needs.
So uncomfortable
though it may be, being there for a friend in crisis can be
about the best thing you can do.
Because
we may be the only light our hurting person has in the midst
of a very dark and stormy sea.
For transcripts,
visit our web site somethingyoushouldknow.net.
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's "Something You Should Know."
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