Books by Cynthia Orange
To read an excerpt, "Caring for Ourselves, as We Care for Others," click here.
Praise for Take Good Care
from the foreword: "Cynthia invites her readers to join in a universal vision of caring for others, with all the unexpected and even unwanted variables caregiving includes. Take Good Care affirms that we are all part of the fallible and mortal human family... It assures us that we are not alone." -- Susan Allen Toth, author of No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver's Days "A rare combination of inspiration and information...Take Good Care offers valuable suggestions throughout, from how to navigate difficult conversations to what contact numbers to post on the refrigerator. This manual for living will enlighten any caregiver's experience...Cynthia holds your hand through the process as only she can." -- Lisa Sue Woititz, author of Unwelcome Inheritance: Break Your Family's Cycle of Addictive Behaviors |
TAKE GOOD CARE:
Finding Your Joy in Compassionate Caregiving Nearly 44 million adults in the United States provide care for family members with disabilities or other needs.* While they represent every age, gender, socioeconomic,racial and ethnic group, Cynthia Orange wants caregivers in all their diversity of backgrounds and experience to understand how caretaking is different from caregiving. Caretaking, Orange explains in Take Good Care reflects a person's deep need to be in control and accepted. Caregiving, in contrast, “consists of more balanced behaviors that reflect compassion and concern for others." As Orange points out, most of us (including her) slip into caretaker mode at times. The goal is awareness; not perfection. The book draws from Orange's many years of experience writing and speaking about caregiving issues and co-facilitating a caregivers' support group. It incorporates up-to-date research and compelling caregiver stories, and an appendix with a practical collection of useful resources and exercises. Take Good Care is for the millions of people who face the ongoing daily challenge of caring for a loved one, for a patient, or for a client. It is also written for those of us who offer "spontaneous" care to coworkers, family members and friends when they need a helping hand or a listening ear. Approached with intention and self-awareness, caregiving "can be a mutually rewarding experience," says Orange. * Caregiving in the US, National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons, 2015 Praise for Take Good Care
"Practical and profound, Take Good Care is for every adult who admits intimacy into their lives. Stories that meld with Cynthia Orange's wise and insightful narrative show how it feels to be a caregiver -- in all its varied forms, with all its rewards and challenges. This book differs from others on the subject in scope and depth, as it connects self with community and encompasses the importance of self-care, service, and nurturing compassionate children. Ultimately this book is about how to have more joy in our lives as we practice healthy caregiving." -- Patrick Dougherty, licensed psychologist, author of A Whole-Hearted Embrace: Finding Love at the Center of It All "To those engaged in the challenging journey of caregiving, I recommend this outstanding book without reservation. Take Good Care is abundant in wisdom, practical tools, helpful stories, and -- most important -- the insightful compassion that every caregiver deserves and benefits from, step after step, decision upon decision." -- Reverend Dr. Gretchen Thompson, hospice chaplain and author of God Knows Caregiving Can Pull You Apart "A deep and important look at the art of caregiving...Cynthia Orange's circle of care strategy is a brilliant application of Susan Silk's 'Ring Theory' that we as caregivers can employ when what is meant to be a loving act overwhelms us. An essential resource for those in the outer circles as well." -- Harry Haroutunian, MD, former physician director, Betty Ford Center, and author of Not As Prescribed and Being Sober |
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SHOCK WAVES:
A Practical Guide to Livng with a Loved One's PTSD A user-friendly guide to helping a loved one with post-traumatic stress disorder--while taking care of yourself. Winner of a national Nautilus Award. In the United States, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women experience, witness, or are affected by a traumatic event in their lifetimes. Many of them (8 percent of men and 20 percent of women) may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)--a life-altering anxiety disorder. Once connected mainly with veterans of war, PTSD is now being diagnosed in many situations that cause extreme trauma such as rape, physical attacks or abuse, accidents, terrorist incidents, or natural disasters. The millions of family members of those who have PTSD also suffer, not knowing how to help their loved one recover from the pain.Shock Waves is a practical, user-friendly guide for those who love someone suffering from this often debilitating anxiety disorder, whether that person is a survivor of war or of another harrowing situation or event. Through her own experience, extensive research, advice from mental health professionals, and interviews with those working through PTSD and their families, Cynthia Orange shows readers how to identify what PTSD symptoms look like in real life, respond to substance abuse and other co-occurring disorders, manage their reactions to a loved one's violence and rage, find effective professional help, and prevent their children from experiencing secondary trauma. Each section of Shock Waves includes questions and exercises to help readers incorporate the book's lessons into their daily lives and interactions with their traumatized loved ones. Praise for Shock Waves
" Cynthia Orange has produced a beautiful, inclusive and powerful book that names trauma and provides resources for survivors and all who love them. Using her own family and experience, she weaves the heart-thread of story through incredibly useful information, guidance, and hope for recovery." -- Christina Baldwin, author of Life's Companion and Storycatcher "Distills the evidence of taking care of oneself and one's family in the wake of a member's traumatization." -- Don R. Catherall, Ph.D,, author of Back from the Brink and editor of the Handbook of Stress, Trauma, and the Family |
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SING YOUR OWN SONG:
A Guide for Single Moms A refreshingly different motherhood manual... Cynthia Orange brings equal parts information and inspiration to this pragmatic yet soulful guide for single moms. Managing time and money, juggling the demands of work and child care, balancing personal needs with parenting responsibilities-these are the everyday concerns Orange addresses with preach-free common sense and welcome candor. Interwoven with firsthand stories and experiences, Sing Your Own Song resonates with affirmation and support for single moms everywhere. Praise for Sing Your Own Song
"The advice offered in this guide is empathetic, practical, and mercifully realistic. It's like having a kind companion at your side whispering encouragement in your ear." -- Cheri Register, sole custody mother and author of The Chronic Illness Experience, Are Those Kids Yours?, and Packinghouse Daughter "Cynthia Orange speaks from the heart and from a wellspring of experience, her own and that of many whom she interviewed. An excellent resource for any mother who is struggling alone to be all that she is called on to be." -- Karen Casey, author of Each Day a New Beginning |