Shalom Therapy: Sage Advice for Emotional and Relational Health

What did ancient sages say about conflict, abandonment, betrayal, and boundaries? What did they recommend when dealing with people who are liars, irritating, dangerous, or angry? What about the personal challenges of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression? Are there alternatives to spanking children? These and other relevant topics are explored in this secular and lighthearted quest for shalom.

During his twenty-year career as a family conflict mediator Erik Johnson studied Hebrew Proverbs for fun. He discovered the ancient sages addressed many of the same problems his clients faced: broken relationships, difficult people, and unruly emotions. He then integrated their wisdom with best clinical practices and created one- and two-page handouts for his own use. Now retired, Johnson reworked those handouts and offers them here to a wider audience for the first time. His hope is that readers will achieve peace, harmony, and wholeness, what the sages called shalom. By applying their witty ideas, practical help, and therapeutic solutions we enter the world of Shalom Therapy.