Penelope Campling – författare

At a time of renewed concern about health, social care, and national unity, the authors reassert the value of the Welfare State for society as a whole, not simply for those in need. Years of relentless regulatory and structural reforms have not prevented scandals, yet have exhausted, demoralised and alienated staff. The work we ask these people to undertake is hard. It can be frightening, risky and uncertain. It requires close attention, sensitivity, skill and support. Grounded in lived experience, and perspectives drawn from many disciplines, Intelligent Kindness illuminates how to develop and sustain healthy organisational culture and effective, humane practice.

At a time of renewed concern about health, social care, and national unity, the authors reassert the value of the Welfare State for society as a whole, not simply for those in need. Years of relentless regulatory and structural reforms have not prevented scandals, yet have exhausted, demoralised and alienated staff. The work we ask these people to undertake is hard. It can be frightening, risky and uncertain. It requires close attention, sensitivity, skill and support. Grounded in lived experience, and perspectives drawn from many disciplines, Intelligent Kindness illuminates how to develop and sustain healthy organisational culture and effective, humane practice.

We have lost our way when it comes to treating serious mental illness: this is a powerful call to arms from highly respected doctor and therapist, Penelope Campling. 'Deeply thoughtful and compassionate' Susie Orbach, author of In Therapy 'As a GP I wish I could send patients to Penelope Campling; as someone worried about failing mental health services, I wish she were in charge.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being NHS psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Penelope Campling has spent a lifetime on the frontline of mental health care, working with patients in crisis. Now she has an urgent message for us all: with our health service at breaking point, we are failing people in serious mental distress. We can and must do better.  Dr Campling invites us into her therapy room. At the forefront of a radically new approach to working with mental illness, she shows how therapeutic communities have helped her patients to break generational cycles of trauma, change crippling internal narratives of shame and despair, overcome abuse and rebuild their lives to find meaning and hope.  Moving and insightful, On the Brink combines patients’ stories with candid self-reflections on the difficult business of helping others. 'A book with the power to move and inform . . . [Campling] is an expert in "intelligent kindness".' Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know '[An] insightful, important book . . . an exhibition of what could be possible and an invitation to act to deliver that vision.' Kathryn Mannix, author of Listen 'This book oozes compassion and kindness and made me want to be a more understanding doctor.' Kate Milton, British Journal of GP Practice

We have lost our way when it comes to treating serious mental illness: this is a powerful call to arms from highly respected doctor and therapist, Penelope Campling.‘On the Brink is a book brimming with compassion, insight and tentative hope.’ The Observer 'Deeply thoughtful and compassionate' Susie Orbach, author of In Therapy'As a GP I wish I could send patients to Penelope Campling; as someone worried about failing mental health services, I wish she were in charge.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being NHS psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Penelope Campling has spent a lifetime on the frontline of mental health care, working with patients in crisis. Now she has an urgent message for us all: with our health service at breaking point, we are failing people in serious mental distress. We can and must do better. Dr Campling invites us into her therapy room. At the forefront of a radically new approach to working with mental illness, she shows how therapeutic communities have helped her patients to break generational cycles of trauma, change crippling internal narratives of shame and despair, overcome abuse and rebuild their lives to find meaning and hope. Moving and insightful, On the Brink combines patients’ stories with candid self-reflections on the difficult business of helping others. 'A book with the power to move and inform . . . [Campling] is an expert in "intelligent kindness".' Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know '[An] insightful, important book . . . an exhibition of what could be possible and an invitation to act to deliver that vision.' Kathryn Mannix, author of Listen 'This book oozes compassion and kindness and made me want to be a more understanding doctor.' Kate Milton, British Journal of GP PracticePreviously published in hardback under the title Don’t Turn Away: Stories of Troubled Minds in Fractured Times

Examining the tradition of therapeutic communities, their principles and their context, Therapeutic Communities: Past, Present and Future is a wide-ranging introduction to both theory and practice. Including contributions by some of the most eminent figures working in therapeutic communities, the book explores the creative and original approaches of such communities to psychiatric care. It describes the historical and social backgrounds from which the therapeutic community movement has grown, and the diversity of the institutions which embrace its ideas. Good practice is discussed from different perspectives, and the contributors look forward to future developments. Their book acts as a stimulating and inspiring challenge to all those who work in the mental health field.