The power of everyday interactions, says James Sullivan, is much greater than we suspect. We have the power to offer profound healing, comfort, and affirmation, or to create deep wounds. And all of this depends on one crucial skill: listening. In the pages of The Good Listener, readers will come to see the far-reaching effects that their listening has on others, and will be grateful for the practical guidelines to becoming an attentive, caring listener. On the other hand, they will also gain invaluable insights into the effects that the listening skills of others have upon them. Those who understand and apply the insights of this book will offer others two unique gifts: the gift of their own caring presence and the gift of enabling the other's greater self-awareness. Parents and spouses, as well as those in ministry and in counseling roles, will find that The Good Listener is an invaluable guide to improving their listening skills.