Beyond Gentle Teaching

This book is for caregivers: those who care for and about children and adults who reside on the very edge of family and community life. It is for those who not only want to help these distanced individuals but for those who also want to change themselves in the process. It is for parents, teachers, direct care workers, coun- selors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, advocates, and all who strive to bring about just treatment for the marginalized. It is for those who want to consider a psychology based on inter- dependence and to uncover ways to express and practice compan- ionship instead of control. It is about children and adults who live in marginalized conditions, who are pushed and pulled away from feelings of union and hurt themselves, hurt others, or simply give up. It is for those who live and work among the mentally retarded, the mentally ill, the aged, the homeless, and the poor. To be marginalized is to be easily controlled, isolated, and segregated.