 READERS
GUIDES
Many women have asked for guidance on developing a discussion/reading group for Harriet Lerner's work. Free readers guides are provided below. You will find tips and questions to help your group. Below these links you will find pointers for starting a "Dance Group."
CLICK
ON THE READERS GUIDE YOU WOULD LIKE TO DOWNLOAD
The following guides are in PDF format, which you will need the Acrobat Reader® to view. If you already have the Reader, click the links below to download a PDF.
Click on this button if you do not have the Acrobat Reader. 
STARTING
A “DANCE GROUP”
In
discussing Harriet Lerner's books, some readers prefer the traditional,
salon-style arrangement, where ideas are shared but participation
does not require self-disclosure of personal involvement. In such
an arrangement, attendance is flexible, the size of the group can
vary from five to twenty participants, and confidentiality is generally
not an issue. You may already be part of such a book group, or looking
to join or start one.
Other
readers prefer an ongoing book group that fosters self-examination
and self-disclosure, in which members apply Lerner’s ideas
to their own lives and relationships – a Dance group. Such
a different process may call for some changes in the organization,
expectations, and structure of a book group. Here are some suggestions
to consider.
- An
optimal size group is seven to ten members but you can start small and build up over time.
- Weekly or bimonthly meetings are helpful to maintain momentum.
- Confidentiality is essential and should be clarified up front to
help generate trust.
- Reach a consensus about expectations and structure.
For example: “We'll meet from eight to ten every Wednesday
night for ten weeks. Members who will be late or absent should call.
We won't have a leader but the person whose home we are in will
get the discussion rolling.”
- Determine the topic or scope of the discussion in advance. (For
example: a particular chapter or the study questions provided in
this Readers’ Guide.)
Reading groups typically choose a book to start with (say, The
Dance of Anger) and discuss one chapter per meeting. In salon-style
reading groups, an entire book will be discussed in an evening.
The
Readers Guide to Harriet Lerner’s work is designed to be a
useful tool either for individual readers, study groups, or ongoing
reading groups.
CLICK
ON THE BOOK/TOPIC YOU WOULD LIKE TO PREVIEW
Dance
of Fear
The
Dance of Connection
The
Dance of Anger
The
Dance of Intimacy
The
Dance of Deception
The
Mother Dance
|
