Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure
by Robert De Board
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'Toad', the famous character in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows is in a very depressed state and his good friends Rat, Mole and Badger, are 'worried that he might do something silly'... First they nursed him. Then they encouraged him. Then they told him to pull himself together... Finally, Badger could stand it no longer. That admirable animal, though long on exhortation, was short on patience. 'Now look here Toad, this can go on no longer', he said sternly. 'There is only one show more thing left. You must have counselling!' Robert de Board's engaging account of Toad's experience of counselling will capture the imagination of the growing readership of people who are interested in counselling and the counselling process. Written as a real continuation of life on the River Bank, Toad and his friends come to life all over again. Heron, the counsellor, uses the language and ideas of transactional analysis as his counselling method. Through the dialogues which make up the ten sessions, or chapters of the book, Toad learns how to analyse his own feelings and develop his emotional intelligence. He meets his 'rebellious child' and his 'adult' along the way, and by the end of the book, as debonair as ever he was, is setting out on a completely new adventure. As readers learn about Toad, so they can learn about themselves and be encouraged to take the path of psychological growth and development. Best-selling author, Robert de Board says: 'Toad's experiences are based on my own experiences of counselling people over a period of twenty years. Counselling for Toads is really an amalgamation of the many counselling sessions I have held and contains a distillation of the truths I have learnt from practice.' Appropriate for anyone approaching counselling for the first time, whether as a student or as a client, or for the professional counsellor looking for something to recommend to the hesitant, Counselling for Toads will appeal to both children and adults of all ages. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
In the same vein as Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh", this delightful book uses characters usually associated with children's literature to explore altogether more adult themes. Toad is the ideal candidate for therapeutic help, and de Board uses dialogue and internal exploration to lay out the principles of a good counselling relationship, and Transaction Analysis in particular. Never child-like in tone, it is both wise and - as the reader follows Toad's emotional journey - rather affecting.
Anyone looking for a readable, accessible introduction to the basic principles of counselling need look no further than ‘Counselling For Toads’. Focussed primarily on the concepts of Transactional Analysis, but addressing a number of related concepts along the way, this clever little book has a great deal to offer. I’d have given it five stars, but for its somewhat weak (and unnecessary) final chapter, and the fact that the fifth star belongs to Kenneth Grahame.
Robert de Board is an organizational consultant based in Henley-on-Thames. He is the author of Counselling Skills (1994) and The Psychoanalysis of Organisations Routledge (1990).
"Toad," the famous character in Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows, is in a very depressed state. "Now look here Toad, this can go on no longer,' he [Badger] said sternly. "There is only one thing left. You must have Counselling!"
Robert de Board's engaging account of Toad's experience in counselling will capture the imagination of the growing readership of those interested in counselling theory and practice. The ten chapters of the book are played as the ten sessions which help Toad to self-analysis and personal development. In portraying Heron as a show more counselor employing the theories of Transactional Analysis in therapy, the author demonstrates how theory is used in practice. show less
"Toad," the famous character in Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows, is in a very depressed state. "Now look here Toad, this can go on no longer,' he [Badger] said sternly. "There is only one thing left. You must have Counselling!"
Robert de Board's engaging account of Toad's experience in counselling will capture the imagination of the growing readership of those interested in counselling theory and practice. The ten chapters of the book are played as the ten sessions which help Toad to self-analysis and personal development. In portraying Heron as a show more counselor employing the theories of Transactional Analysis in therapy, the author demonstrates how theory is used in practice. show less
Good for younger people to read, age 12+
The title speaks for itself!
Counselling
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Robert De Board joined Henley Business School in 1971 and during his time there he wrote The Psychoanalysis of Organizations. Following this, he left the college to run his own management consultancy and became a visiting professor at the management college.
Work Relationships
Is a (non-series) sequel to
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1998
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Statistics
- Members
- 156
- Popularity
- 208,940
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.77)
- Languages
- Chinese, English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 4
