MY BOOK
Stillpoint
A Self Care Playbook for Caregivers
to Find Ease and Time to Breathe, and Reclaim Joy.
Stillpoint is a comprehensive guide offering caregivers permission to become attuned to their own needs while caring for others. The artistic approach of these two dancing social workers offers the reader numerous ways to pay attention to the somatic self – the body as perceived from the inside. Stillpoint offers stories, whimsical songs, poems, quizzes, meditations and affirmations to aid professional and family caregivers alike in unlearning self-defeating habits and changing mindsets. The aim is for those caring and serving others to include themselves in their wholehearted caring. Tools for self-healing are also offered along with resources and sample rituals to transform both careers and caregivers.
43.5 million American adults, (17% of the workforce) are caring for another ill or disabled adult.
Being a caregiver is a hazardous occupation, whether it’s a chosen helping profession, or a family responsibility that’s chosen you. Caregivers are at risk for more serious health problems in comparison with people who don’t have such responsibilities. Research continues to document the frequency of “burnout” and “compassion fatigue” for persons in the helping professions while self care continues to be all but neglected in the professional programs that train them.
Add “Stillpoint” to your library.
We All Need Self-Care
Find out about Self-Care While Giving Care in this video.
Meet the Authors of Stillpoint
Sheila K Collins, PhD
Sheila has referred to herself as a “dancing social worker” for over 40 years. Bringing the perspective of a dancer and theater artist to her work as a social worker, professor, clinic director, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant, she writes, speaks and advocates for the power of play, dance and the expressive arts to help us make it through life’s toughest challenges.
Stillpoint was written originally to help social work students with their self-care, and the revision as a response to the proliferation of care-giving responsibilities in women’s lives. Her award winning book, Warrior Mother: Fierce Love, Unbearable Loss, and the Rituals that Heal, tells of her journeys with two of her three adult children and her best friend through their life-threatening illnesses and deaths, and of the rituals that helped her family to heal.
Her engaging 2016 TEDx talk, “When Death Threatens,” demonstrates the challenge and the gifts of being a caregiver to a loved one dealing with a death-defying illness. Sheila holds an MSW from Wayne State University School of Social Work and a PhD from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She currently consults with individuals and organizations, helping them to tell their stories in transforming ways. She directs the improvisational InterPlay troupe, Wing & A Prayer Pittsburgh Players.
Christine Gautreax, MSW
Christine Gautreaux holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Work and is dedicated to the pursuit of play, joy, art & social justice. Christine’s superpowers include connecting people, helping folks manifest their dreams, standing up against injustice and using art to make a difference in the world.
She currently uses performance art, movement, poetry, storytelling and Interplay to address issues of oppression with women who are incarcerated, people living with severe and persistent mental illness and homelessness. She also works with activists and artists to maintain balance and self-care during these intense times we find ourselves living.
Christine Gautreaux has professional experience with successful grant writing, community organizing and social media marketing. She is a life coach for caregivers who are burntout and ready to take back their own life and make it delightful again. She is the co-author of Stillpoint: A Caregivers Playbook to find ease and to take a deep breath and reclaim joy.
TESTIMONIALS
What People Are Saying
“…notice from the inside out the impact it makes on your ability to be present with yourself and all your relations.”
“What a delightful, comprehensive guide, reminding us all about the critical importance of self-care. The authors invite us to rethink – perhaps redefine – the concept of caregiver, transforming it into ‘caresharer.’ Take some time with this book, practicing its precious gems, and notice from the inside out the impact it makes on your ability to be present with yourself and all your relations.”
-Jamie McHugh
Somatic Movement Therapist, Artist
“If you are weary from caring for others and humbled by what it takes, open this book.”
“If you are weary from caring for others and humbled by what it takes, open this book. Sheila K Collins and her co-author Christine Gautreaux both walk this walk. Sheila is a national leader in the dance of wise caregiving for self and others. Phil Porter and I, the cofounders of InterPlay, are indebted to her for her contributions to our system. We know her backward and forward as an artist, therapist, and teacher. She’s the real deal. Tested, tenacious, tender and true, a wise elder and creative guide for getting through life’s hard stuff.“
-Cynthia Winton-Henry
InterPlay co-founder, and author of Move: What the Body Wants and Dance: the Sacred Art
“Bravo to the re-publication of Stillpoint and kudos to all caregivers!”
“Millions of adults (therapists, professional helpers, caregivers, family members, etc.) must actively embrace self-care and attune to their own needs in order to be fully present for others. Bravo to the re-publication of Stillpoint and kudos to all caregivers!”
-Ilana Rubenfeld
Founder of the Rubenfeld Synergy Method and author of The Listening Hand: Self-Healing Through The Rubenfeld Synergy Method of Talk and Touch
“What a meaningful, powerful, beautiful book.”
“Healthcare professionals are facing a self-care crisis; burnout, compassion fatigue, addiction, and suicide are on the rise. In Stillpoint, Sheila and Christine have laid out a clear path to healing, allowing people to reclaim their right to self-care. My research in self-compassion has taught me that how we relate to ourselves is critical to our well-being as caregivers. I’m glad to see the latest research being put into a form that is a joy to implement.“
-Cynthia Phelps
PhD, entrepreneur, Founder of InnerAlly Inc
“My radio audience filled with caregivers from all walks of life will treasure each page.”
Host of Preferred Company, President and Founder of Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services.
-Joel Markel
“Having worked for over fifty years with hundreds of women…I value this book.”
“Having worked for over fifty years with hundreds of women as they have provided care for family members , I value this book. With so many demands upon families these day, as parents live longer and need care, as childcare expenses increase, and as concerns for our troubled communities and our planet escalate, Stillpoint is needed and helpful. It offers practical and spiritual ways to take care of ourselves so that we may thrive and live to continue to serve life well and joyfully.”
-Glenda Taylor
Minister, Founder and Director of the Fellowship of Comparative Religion
