Val Walker

Normally I would deride a book like this for not offering any kind of evidence, but that's not quite the point. This book is a painstaking compilation of the wisdom of many different kind of professionals, which is probably as close as you're going to get to evidence-based comforting.

Walker's line in the introduction, "Why was the world so lacking in people who could just sit gently with us at painful times?" [p. xvi], might be the wisest commentary on human society I've ever read. If you show more can find those people who can sit gently with you at painful times, keep them in your life. If not, this book might be a handy, if somewhat self-serving, gift. show less

This book is easy to read and covers everything. The thing that makes it great is that it gives advice for any kind of person, so you can develop your style of comforting based on your own strengths, and learn how to improve your weaker areas. I read it because I'm a counselor and a follower of captain awkward's blog (where I got the recommendation) but really everyone would benefit from reading this book, it will help everyone you interact with.