With the hopes of helping others, Greenstone resident and author Dr Ray Laferla published his book, Empowered. Written during lockdown, the book is described as a practical guide for overcoming the challenges of everyday life.
It was published on February 25. With a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a PhD in occupational psychology, which he attained at the University of the State of New York (The Albert Ellis Institute), Ray is an international speaker on the topics of leadership, organisation development strategy formulation and personal development.
He decided to study in the field of psychology after he overcame what he described as his problems.
“I was a shy youngster and I had a lot of fears and complexes.”
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Growing up, Ray had many self-help books which he had a keen interest in and sparked something in him. He said once he had looked after himself, he wanted to help others. Ray said the 35-chapter book covers topics ranging from overcoming feelings of inferiority, breaking bad habits, acquiring self-discipline, protecting oneself from toxic people and dealing with anger.
He said the book was written to help the individual and the counsellor or others, like parents or teachers, who may be providing advice to others.
“The focus of this book is to help people overcome the stumbling blocks which plague them and build on the positive attributes which already exist in their life.”
He said the chapters provide a strategy to the reader on how to deal with the specific topic or matter at hand.
“This book will help a person by giving them practical guidelines on how to cope and manage a certain situation.”
Speaking about the writing process, Ray initially thought about doing a podcast. After receiving feedback from family and close friends, Ray decided to reinvent his idea as a book and has already started working on a sequel. He plans to release the book in multiple formats to make it more accessible to his audience.
Between the two books, there will be 50 chapters. The book can be purchased on Amazon or Kindle.
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