Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Synopsis
This book has two thousand well-known, humorous, and thought-provoking sayings from around the world. Use the proverbs as memory exercises, for broadening the cultural diversity of your activities or for helping your client view an idea from a different perspective.
Proverbs are the distilled wisdom of our culture. Forged by the character of the land in which they are born, they carry truths that have been learned from one generation to the next. With their rich imagery and insightful analogies, they convey ideas in a few words that might otherwise take hours to explain. The proverbs in this book are arranged by behaviors and goals. If you are puzzled about what to say to a client or group, open the book and find a proverb to help you get your point across.
"The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them."
The benefits of using proverbs in the therapeutic process are twofold. First, the richness of a proverb allows a client to fill in the blanks, to make his or her own interpretation. Second, proverbs allow a therapist to make a very pointed comment without activating the client's defenses. Proverbs are a package that must be unwrapped or a mystery to solve. They engage the client by letting him or her look at the problem from a fresh perspective.