Cyrus Webb reviews Demystifying Diversity

When it comes to the topic of diversity it can honestly go in so many directions. What I would say about Daralyse Lyons’ new book Demystifying Diversity: Embracing our Shared Humanity is that she strives to break it down to more than a US against THEM and see the why.

Through the interviews and her own personal observations we see how being singled out or labeled as impacted others. It also does something I wasn’t expecting. It turns the tables repeatedly on the reader, forcing us to ask what would we do or who would we be. In horrific events in history would be the one who was the oppressed or would we be the oppressor? Would we stand up for what is right or will be stay by? These questions are difficult but necessary if we are going to see things really move forward in a positive (and productive) way.

There’s another thing that Daralyse discusses in the book that is sure to step on some toes. I know it did mine. That being the words we use to categorize things, like being “good” for eating a salad or “bad” for not. The impact of what we say as well as what we do can impact the way people see themselves and feel about themselves.

Bottom line is we’re ALL a work in progress. This book challenges us to identify the work we ALL have to do and get about doing it.

Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness

978-1-61599-366-6
$27.95
In stock
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Product Details
UPC: 978-1-61599-366-6
Brand: Loving Healing Press
Binding: Paperback

Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness Reveal New Insights
This groundbreaking book presents compelling narratives and innovative approaches for addressing the psychological traumas that can underlie homelessness and is the first to explore in-depth what the US and UK can learn from one another.

Authors focus on understanding and applying the precepts of Pretreatment and "Psychologically Informed Environments," as well as effective ways to promote productive dialogue on all levels ¾ with clients, clinicians, advocates, policy makers, researchers, and others. Detailed case studies review and integrate "hands on" practice with Appreciative Inquiry, Open Dialogue, and Common Language Construction methods.
"In Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness, Jay Levy and co-authors provide the conceptual tools, the hitherto 'missing language', needed by practitioners and policymakers working with excluded individuals. This book has been informed by the authors' practice and should come with a warning: it will revolutionise how you work -- irreversibly and, undoubtedly, for the better"
-- Cliona Ni Cheallaigh, MB, MRCP, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Medical Gerontology, Trinity College (Dublin)

"Jay distills many decades of his own street experience, and by cross comparing his brilliant schema of Pretreatment with the British model of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE), he reveals the underlying common processes of effective street engagement. As a long-time practitioner of street medicine, I recommend this book to anyone who seeks that sacred place on the streets where healing begins."
-- Jim Withers, MD, Founder and Medical Director, Operation Safety Net and the Street Medicine Institute (Pittsburgh)

"Cross Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness is a timely and important collection of the latest thinking on how we should respond to the traumatic life experiences of so many homeless people. Levy and colleagues suggest a commitment to reflective dialogue will improve both the quality of frontline services and the way policy makers, managers and commissioners think about responding to the needs of people pushed to the margins of our societies."
-- Alex Bax, Chief Executive, (London) Pathway - transforming health services for homeless people

Learn more at www.JaySLevy.com
From LHPress - www.LHPress.com

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