Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin

The Skill-ionaire in Every Child by Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin
Release Date: October 10th, 2010
Publisher: BookLocker
Page Count: 186
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist, A Marketing Expert, via LibraryThing Member Giveaways in exchange for an honest an unbiased review

Skill Boosting Conversations: A breakthrough method to raise competent, compassionate and socially intelligent kids!

Many young people today struggle with social and emotional issues such as low self-esteem, fears, anger, bullying, body image, and depression. The standard approach used in families, schools, and counseling centers, is to focus on what is "going wrong", and solve kids' problems. Yet, a wide body of recent brain research shows that socio-emotional skills are best cultivated and secured by experiences that evoke positive emotions. Is it possible to address problems and evoke positive emotions? Yes, it is! Instead of dwelling on how to reduce a child's impatience for example, you can boost the skill of patience. In this inspiring book, psychologist Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin teaches adults how to engage young people in "skill-boosting conversations" (SBC), a cutting-edge method to help them identify and further enrich the unique problem-solving strategies that work best for them.

What Stephanie Thinks: I was really excited to try this book because child psychology interests me greatly. It's a parent/caretaker self-help book written by a professional, that reads more like a brochure... a very extended brochure; the material doesn't seem heavy, and does a great job at holding my attention well!

I love the structure because the book includes not only commentary on research, but also the author's own insights, various diagrams and easy-to-access lists, and Q&A features at the end of every section. The organization and succinctness impressed me.

My only reservation is that The Skill-ionaire in Every Child is self-published. While the author obviously has high credentials (Ph.D.!), there is no way of securely using this book as a guide; it might as well just be a strung out journal article or essay. The flow of the book is smooth, and the information seems valid (or at least relevant), but I'm not sure if I would use it with applications to my daily life, nor with my experiences with children.

In terms of content, Beaudoin presents and analyzes multiple ground-breaking discoveries and theories about socio-emotional psychology that I find fascinating. She explores various aspects of self-esteem, society, and the brain, using real-life examples and thought-provoking connections. My verdict, however, is that The Skill-ionaire in Every Child is worth reading, but not worth purchasing, due to its questionable origins and background.

Radical Rating: 7 hearts - Not without flaws, but overall enjoyable.… (mehr)