Title: Soothing: Lives of a Child Psychologist
Author: W. Hans Miller
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-5245-4631-1
Pages: 295
Genre: Biography and Autobiography / Personal Memoirs
Reviewed by: Susan Brown
Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit
The journey to improved emotional and behavioral health, for many young people, is not an easy one. It can involve long-term suffering with a kind of despair which without the right skills is difficult to get past. There are ways to navigate this journey which can take a person to self-acceptance and a kind of contentment. Dr. Miller, in his book Soothing: Lives of a Child Psychologist, details through stories from his decades long career as a child psychologist how he has helped make that happen for his patients, and for himself.
As a young man, Dr. Miller quite often found himself on the opposite side of acceptance by his friends and even his family. This sense of not-fitting-in gravitated him to what became his calling — to help young people learn to accept who they are as opposed to who they are not. In the process, he came to accept who he was, too. Through a series of case studies, Dr. Miller opens the door to the daily struggles faced by the young people and family members who came to his office. It’s a window into the realm of children wrestling with behavioral and abnormal emotional development problems. His role, as a guide and mentor, helped them navigate their lives by teaching them healthy ways to self-soothe. He says, “Soothing brings short and long feelings of peace, quiet, and freedom.”
This process is not the same for everyone, nor for him, however it became a discovery which unfolded in his career as a clinical psychologist. This fascinating look at his life’s work, is also a thoughtful tale about Dr. Miller’s pilgrimage, of sorts, to manifest self-soothing tactics and find peace within his own life. Interspersed throughout the narratives of case studies are insightful self- reflections by Dr. Miller. The application of these reflections propelled him to develop the first Medical Center Parent Training Clinic, still active today – more than 40 years later. Work at the clinic allowed him to initiate new therapies, develop additional strategies and to find reliable sources of self-soothing for his patients and just as importantly in this narrative, for himself.
Soothing is riveting and compelling because Dr. Miller’s stories are captivating. Reading this book feels as if you’re sitting across from Dr. Miller in his office, listening quietly to his calming voice. His storytelling skills, augmented by the fact that what he writes about is true, are engaging from beginning to end. The pace is measured; the tone instructive but not overly academic.
Soothing is indeed a gift from Dr. Miller. It’s an analgesic for all who are in pain from any difficult condition. It’s especially helpful for those with children in need of psychotherapy. Dr. Miller says, “I learned how and why psychotherapy can sometimes make a real difference in someone’s life. So why have I made a life of trying to provide care for unhappy children of all ages? Because they are our future and they need it most.”
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