Judith Acosta - The Worst Is Over: What To Say When Every Moment Counts

THE WORST IS OVER

What to Say When Every Moment Counts

by

JUDITH K. ACOSTA, LISW, CCH

JUDITH SIMON PRAGER, PHD

Hailed as The Bible of Crisis Communication

NEW UPDATED EDITION

Copyright 2002 by Judith Acosta and Judith Simon Prager

All rights reserved. No part of this book, except for the chart on pages 184-189 may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the authors.

The authors of this book do not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any techniques as forms of treatment for physical or mental problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the authors is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the authors and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions

ISBN: 1494376539

ISBN 13: 9781494376536

Second Edition, updated 2014

Acclaim for The Worst Is Over

The Worst Is Over will be known as the seminal work for teaching compassionate crisis intervention communication to anyone who works with medical and emotional emergencies. All future books by others will reference this source as the bible for crisis communication.

Patti White, Ph.D., Editor, International Journal of Emergency Mental Health. Vol. 4, No. 2, Spring 2002.

The Worst Is Over is like an answer to a prayer. It gives everyone, from parent to firefighter, the knowledge and courage to say exactly the right thing at the right time in a way that is healing, uplifting, and also life-saving.

Christiane Northrup, M.D. Author,
Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom (Bantam, 1998)
and The Wisdom of Menopause (Bantam, March 2001)

Ive just had the pleasure of reading your manuscript, Verbal First Aid. I found it well written and very informative. I agree that what one says in the first few moments of a physical or psychological crisis can have a lasting effect on the person in crisis. Your book is the best example of a practical, common-sense approach to providing psychological support yet written for the lay public.

George S. Everly, Jr.
Chairman of the Board, Emeritus,
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.

[The Worst Is Over] is a major contribution to healing and one of the most original books I have read in some time. At this moment in history, when many wish totally to give healing over to drugs, genome manipulation, and stem cells, we need this message more than ever - that human consciousness, and the ways we choose to communicate with one another, can make the difference in life and death.

Larry Dossey, MD Author: Healing Words and One Mind:
How Our Individual Mind is Part of a Greater
Consciousness and Why it Matters

This is a book that should be in the hands of every officer, in every academy, in every county across the country. The concepts are essential and life-saving.

Gene Moynihan, CSW, CASAC
Director, Member Assistance Program, New York City Police

Verbal First Aid [The Worst Is Over] is required reading for all who wish to work in the field of trauma response.

Leo J. Shea III, Ph.D., Clinical Neuropsychologist, New York University-Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine

Reading about Verbal First Aid gave me the courage and the inspiration to be a source of comfort and ease to people who are ill or injured. The authors very simple approach is both loving and practical. I recommend it to anyone dealing with a medical emergency. I use this as an ongoing practice in my work, both in the emergency room and the ICU.

Cara de Vries, Respiratory Care Practitioner,
Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford

Its finally becoming apparent that what we say during a medical emergency is often as important as the treatment we provide.

Alan Mistler, Associate Professor and Program Director,
Center for Prehospital Education Department of Emergency Medicine,
University of Cincinnati Medical Center

After reading the book The Worst Is Over - What to Say When Every Moment Counts I became a believer in Verbal First Aid. I run the first aid training unit for our department and have incorporated it into our program. As Police Officers, we talk to people in a variety of situations, and unfortunately some of these conversations are not pleasant ones. Verbal First Aid is a valuable tool we can use with the public that we serve. The feedback thus far from the field has been great.

F/Lt Mike Harvitt, Michigan State Police

Look for the latest in Verbal First Aid,

Verbal First Aid: Help Your Kids Heal From Fear and Pain And Come Out Strong (Berkley Books, 2010).

If you work with or care for children, this book will give you the words to turn a hurt into a healing, a scare into a calm, and a potential trauma into a memory of rescue and courage.

Remember not only to say the right thing in the
right place, but far more difficult still,
to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

Benjamin Franklin

During periods of great stress, words that seem immaterial or are uttered in jest might become fixed in the patients mind and cause untold harm.

Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

This book was dedicated in its first edition to my dear friend and mentor, the late Ann Tully Ruderman. Neither the long line of time nor the distance of death has changed the impact she has had on my work and my ability to see the possibilities instead of the problems we face. Tully, this is still for you.

Judith Acosta

I dedicate this book to Captain Patrick Brown of the New York Fire Department, lost, as were so many of his brothers, in the World Trade Center tragedy. He died as he had lived, boldly, generously, gallantly. One of the most decorated members of the fire department, a Vietnam hero, swashbuckling yet gentle, beloved by the men he led, he was the best of a rare breed and the world is less colorful, less glorious, and less safe for his loss. Im proud to have called him a friend.

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

Judith Simon Prager

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Since The Worst is Over was published in 2002, we have received so many wonderful testimonials and stories from people who have used the principles of Verbal First Aid in the field.

We felt it was time not only to update the text to reflect some of the newer science that lies behind Verbal First Aid, but to add a chapter inspired by you, our readers, about how its worked in the world.

We also wanted to make The Worst is Over available in both print and e-book formats. Much from the first edition remains as it was. We hope and trust that it provides you with the tools you can make your own whenever and wherever you find them needed