The importance of this short book is out of proportion to its size... It is the fruit of over 20 years of counselling experience by one individual in the United Kingdom, and United States of America; years in which she has been a pioneer in providing a one-to-one service for persons with dementia, and also working with family members... It is difficult to do justice to this book in a brief review. It is the kind I go through with pencil poised to underline a word, a phrase or sentence... this is a book that you cannot afford to be without. -- The Journal of Ageing & Society
Lipinska's book is both heartening, as there is a dearth of such services in the UK, and timely, with new National Strategies for Dementia published in England and imminent in Scotland (where dementia is already a priority) offering hope that this situation will change. -- HCPJ (Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherepy Journal)
This is a worthwhile read and certainly succeeds in making the point that people with dementia are people and should be respected as such - This is for their benefit and ours. There may be a role for specialists personal counsellors within mainstream services. In addition the counselling approach and techniques described here can and should be adopted by professionals as a core component of their therapeutic armoury. -- Dementia Plus website
We've been waiting a long time for someone to write a definitive text on counselling persons with dementia. Now Danuta Lipinska has done it, and it is even better than we had hoped for. -- John Killick, co-author of 'Communication and the Care of People with Dementia'
She challenges the pervasive negative assumptions associated with dementia. She reminds us all that those with dementia are first and foremost persons of dignity, worthy of being honored with our respect. With warmth and humor, Danuta shares the clarity of her vision of honoring the wholeness of the person, and the unique experiences of their history, always encouraging full expression of their feelings and frustrations, their strengths and their struggles. Her book demonstrates the power of listening, and the patience of not hurrying silence. She creates a therapeutic environment that honors the tenacity of the human spirit, and allows them to... Speak the unspeakable, confront the unimaginable, and yet hold on to the residual Self, the emerging Self. This book will open your heart with hope. If you are a caregiver, a family member, a friend, a therapist or allied medical professional, it will offer you a fresh perspective to consider, and be a great resource. -- Dwight Webb, author of The Soul of Counseling
This valuable book challenges us to raise our expectations, to believe in a person's capacity for growth and change despite even because of failing memory. This is a book about hope, respect and love. -- Cynthia Ransley, Lecturer in Social Work, Integrative Psychotherapist and Tutor, Metanoia Institute, London
Lipinska writes: Making sense of self, if only for the moment, and if only for a moment in time, acknowledges, affirms and accepts the client's real Self by being able to share who she once was in the context of who she has become. This book shows that not only is this work possible, but it is of incredible value. It has deepened my knowledge and my desire to work with individuals who have dementia and with their carers. -- Therapy Today
