Being the Change: A Guide for Advocates and Activists on Staying Healthy, Inspired, and Driven

Editorial Reviews

This accessible book provides the reader with strategies from cognitive behavior therapy and other evidence-based therapies to lead a meaningful, civically engaged life. The authors explain psychological theories in clear and easy-to-understand terms that will help their audience learn to identify their personal values, develop new skills, and form healthy habits to sustain them through challenges. -- Judith S. Beck, PhD, President, Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States This timely book provides practical, research-tested strategies for the benefit of anyone committed to working to make the world a better place. The authors empathically identify the personal and societal obstacles that can get in the way of sustaining a focus on social justice work but show readers multiple ways to address these obstacles and be effective in living their values. -- David A. F. Haaga, PhD, Professor of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC, United States All my life I've been drawn to socially meaningful, yet challenging work with long odds. While these endeavors can be incredibly rewarding, they have a shadow side - becoming burned out or overwhelmed (or worst of all, a cynical martyr). "Being the Change" is a great guide for making this work sustainable for the long run. The two authors bring their personal experience as activists as well as academic grounding in the evidence base. They share case studies and a wealth of stories of how fellow changemakers thread that needle of making a difference while taking care of themselves. Given the abundance of social and political challenges we face (and will likely continue to face for the foreseeable future), this book is both timely and important reading for anyone doing their part to make the world a better place. I highly recommend it! -- Liz (Amazon customer)