People had been approaching family support staff privately to discuss their fear and shame about being angry at someone who can't do anything about their condition, said Lisa Gwyther, an associate clinical professor and director of the family support program. At workshops for families or professionals, the topic would surface outside the group setting. Edna Ballard, a social worker with the Duke program, decided to take the issue public about a year and a half ago. She did a presentation on anger for one of the two support groups she facilitates.
Care givers are reluctant to admit that they feel anger.
With Ballard taking the lead, the team agreed on the book's approach. Care givers are swamped with responsibility and have little time to read, they reasoned, so the material had to be presented in a way that would appeal to their target audience. The book needed to be short, contain situations that care givers could recognize and provide information they could absorb. They decided that first-person narratives best illustrate a range of ways to adapt and cope with anger. They sought permission from care givers to include diary entries, e-mail support group comments, letters submitted to publications.