Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises
A Collection of Poems and Reflective Practice Activities
(First Edition)
©2026, 266 pages
Paperback list price: $49.95
Cognella Direct Ebook: $44.95
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Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises: A Collection of Poems and Reflective Practice Activities provides a unique exploration into the emotional landscape experienced by individuals during mental health crises.
The book presents a poignant series of poems written by Bonnie Jean Raingruber, RN, Ph.D. that introduce nurses and mental health professionals to the depth of feelings and presentations common among those experiencing mental health challenges such as depression, mania, trauma, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. The poems reflect Dr. Raingruber’s experiences working as a mental health nurse, a therapist, and a clinical nurse specialist in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Written to enhance understanding and empathy, the book explores clinical conditions through poetry and provides readers with reflective practice exercises designed to teach the coping, writing, and reflecting skills necessary for mental health nursing. Readers engage with works that represent the inner voice of clients, each poem inviting introspection on complex lifescapes and advocating for client-focused care in nursing practice.
Ideal for budding healthcare professionals who seek a compassionate understanding of patients’ experiences, Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises is well suited for courses and programs in nursing, counseling, mental health, and related helping professions.
A Statement from the Author in Recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
"Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises: A Collection of Poems and Reflective Practice Activities uses a storied approach to help students and practitioners hear the perspectives of people who are experiencing depression, mood swings, trauma, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Each poem in the collection is written from the perspective of a client. Poetry is used to give voice to intense emotions and speak to the contextual, societal and family-related influences that shape each client’s life experience. The text is meant to challenge common misconceptions often associated with mental health practice and to encourage client-centered care. The book is designed to help practitioners begin to see as another sees, to understand the hues and textures of a complex life and to expand the reader’s worldview. The text ends with reflective practice activities and a writing tutorial to help students learn to cope with the powerful emotions that accompany clinical practice."
The book presents a poignant series of poems written by Bonnie Jean Raingruber, RN, Ph.D. that introduce nurses and mental health professionals to the depth of feelings and presentations common among those experiencing mental health challenges such as depression, mania, trauma, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. The poems reflect Dr. Raingruber’s experiences working as a mental health nurse, a therapist, and a clinical nurse specialist in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Written to enhance understanding and empathy, the book explores clinical conditions through poetry and provides readers with reflective practice exercises designed to teach the coping, writing, and reflecting skills necessary for mental health nursing. Readers engage with works that represent the inner voice of clients, each poem inviting introspection on complex lifescapes and advocating for client-focused care in nursing practice.
Ideal for budding healthcare professionals who seek a compassionate understanding of patients’ experiences, Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises is well suited for courses and programs in nursing, counseling, mental health, and related helping professions.
A Statement from the Author in Recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
"Embracing the Client Perspective in Mental Health Crises: A Collection of Poems and Reflective Practice Activities uses a storied approach to help students and practitioners hear the perspectives of people who are experiencing depression, mood swings, trauma, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Each poem in the collection is written from the perspective of a client. Poetry is used to give voice to intense emotions and speak to the contextual, societal and family-related influences that shape each client’s life experience. The text is meant to challenge common misconceptions often associated with mental health practice and to encourage client-centered care. The book is designed to help practitioners begin to see as another sees, to understand the hues and textures of a complex life and to expand the reader’s worldview. The text ends with reflective practice activities and a writing tutorial to help students learn to cope with the powerful emotions that accompany clinical practice."
Bonnie Jean Raingruber is a child/adolescent mental health clinical specialist who worked at the Center for Nursing Research at University of California, Davis, and at California State University, Sacramento. She holds a master’s degree in mental health and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Raingruber has been a nurse manager, psychiatric nurse, home health nurse, professor, and nurse researcher.
Other Cognella titles by Bonnie Raingruber:Formats and Bulk Order Pricing for Confirmed Adoptions
Publisher Direct Versions — Available through the Cognella Student Store for confirmed adoptions |
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$44.95
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Publisher Direct Ebook | Publisher Direct ebooks are available in your Cognella account immediately after purchase and provide access for 180 days. Our ebooks run on VitalSource and RedShelf with perpetual/annual options available. |
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Publisher Direct Paperback | These special, discounted paperback editions are sold exclusively through the Cognella Student Store (store.cognella.com) for confirmed adoptions. They are not available through other retailers. The books are printed on demand, do not have an ISBN, and are not intended for resale, which results in savings we pass along to students. Most Publisher Direct Paperbacks also come with free, immediate access to the first 30% of the ebook and shipping included. |
Higher Education Bookstore Pricing — These suggested retail prices include a total projected mark-up of 25% |
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| $49.95 | Paperback 979-8-8233-6607-6 |
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"This book uses poetry to teach students to understand and connect with patients with mental illness while providing a powerful tool to process the often-overwhelming emotions that come from caring for these patients. Poetry gives us a means to express the colors and forces of deeply felt emotions that cannot be contained in two dimensional words."
Maryanne Sandberg, College of Coastal Georgia
"Creative approach to learning."
Marisue Rayno, Luzerne County Community College
"The poetry contained in this textbook provides a fresh perspective and insight into the lives of individuals who are experiencing the conditions discussed in this book. "
JT Seaman, Lamar University
"The use of poetry is truly an overlooked and undervalued instrument, having the potential to give deeper meaning, understanding, and an instinctive perception of connectedness to a population that is so often misunderstood, stigmatized, and shunned."
Susan Justice, University of Texas, Arlington
Maryanne Sandberg, College of Coastal Georgia
"Creative approach to learning."
Marisue Rayno, Luzerne County Community College
"The poetry contained in this textbook provides a fresh perspective and insight into the lives of individuals who are experiencing the conditions discussed in this book. "
JT Seaman, Lamar University
"The use of poetry is truly an overlooked and undervalued instrument, having the potential to give deeper meaning, understanding, and an instinctive perception of connectedness to a population that is so often misunderstood, stigmatized, and shunned."
Susan Justice, University of Texas, Arlington
