Coping With Loneliness Workbook ― Facilitator Reproducilbe Guided Self-exploration Activities

Human beings are social by nature and need human interaction and connectedness. When people experience adequate levels of human interaction and connectedness, they feel a sense of satisfaction. On the other hand, when people are experiencing inadequate levels of interaction and connectedness, they feel lonely – something's missing.In our society filled with people who communicate primarily with a wide variety of technology, face-to-face social interaction has become less common, feelings of connectedness are rare, and people are lonelier than ever before. Technology can provide a false sense of being connected twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This feeling of virtual connection, however, may be deceiving, and people benefit with social face-to-face connections with other people.Negative feelings of loneliness can lead to a variety of other health-related concerns and stress-related conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. In addition, is often related to addiction, various forms of anti-social behavior, disrupted sleep patterns and various mental-health conditions. People experiencing long-term (chronic) form of loneliness are more susceptible to experiencing these wider effects of loneliness. If your participants are experiencing any of these effects, suggest they see a medical professional. In order to deal successfully with all of the types of loneliness, people must find creative ways of coping. The Coping with Loneliness Workbook provides assessments and self-guided activities to help participants learn useful skills for coping creatively with the various types of loneliness. Many choices of self-exploration activities are provided for participants to determine which best suit their unique needs. The four chapters include: ‧ Level of Loneliness ‧ Personal Characteristics ‧ Coping with Loneliness ‧ Alone Time

Ester A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986. Soon after, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and they developed these therapeutic products: The SEALS series for teen-agers, Life Management Skills series for adults and Meaningful Life Skills for older adults, as well as a variety of other therapeutic card games, board games and posters. With Whole Person Associates, Ester has co-written the following series of reproducible activity workbooks and card decks created for facilitators: GriefWork, Mental Health & Life Skills, Teen Mental Health & Life Skills, Mind-Body Wellness, Coping, Transitional Life Skills for Teens and Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues through Awareness. Ester has also co-written the following individual books: Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, Motivation, The Complete Caregiver Guide, Veterans Surviving and Thriving, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Life Skills to Help Teens Balance WAY TOO MUCH! John J. Liptak, Ed.D, frequently conducts workshops on assessment-related topics. He has written three books on career-related topics and these books have been featured in numerous newspapers including The Washington Post, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Associated Press. His work has also been featured on MSNBC, CNN Radio and on the PAX / ION television series, “Success without a College Degree.” John has many years of experience in providing counseling services to individuals and groups in a variety of settings including job training programs, correctional institutions, and colleges and universities. In addition, John has about ten years of teaching experience as an assistant professor. With Kathy Khalsa and Ester Leutenberg, he has written three other comprehensive books for teachers and counselors to use with their students and clients: The Self-Esteem Program, The Social Skills Program and The Stress Management Program: Inventories, Activities & Educational Handouts. Ester and John have co-written the Mental Health & Life Skills Workbook Series, the Teen Mental Health & Life Skills Workbook Series, Coping Workbook Series, and the new Mind-Body Wellness Series.