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Richard Skerritt - Author and Publisher
Who is that masked man?
Like you probably are, I was just a person making my way through life until the
trauma of abuse shattered the small remaining pretense of a happy life. By training
I'm an engineer, and have 25 years experience working with computers, controls,
and chemical processes. I also hold a graduate certificate in sport psychology -
an interest I've yet to build into a vocation. But more important to you, I'm an
author, publisher, bookseller, and book promoter with a unique understanding of
abuse, the relationships that it haunts, and the diseases that cause it. My work
is entirely focused on helping those of us who are victims of abuse - mostly through
marriage - and have suffered abusive treatment from someone suffering with what
I call the abusive disorders: borderline, narcissistic, or antisocial personality
disorder (aka sociopathy.)
Over the last nearly 10 years, I've become expert in understanding the familial
experience of these disorders. Since 2000, I've particpated in online support groups
for those living with a disordered person. By 2002, I had a busy website where I
collected my writings from my own experiences, and from helping others deal with
theirs. For a time, I ran a group of my own, which grew so fast it became unmanageable
for me. I published my first book, Tears and Healing, in 2004. Two more
followed shortly, filling the obvious need people had for help with feelings of
love (In Love and Loving It - or Not!) and with understanding the crazy behavior
they faced (Meaning from Madness).
After many interactions with readers and consulting clients, my perspectives
have deepened. You'll find these, which include my most insightful perspectives
on these diseases and the experience of living with them, is in
Tears and Healing Reflections.
As clients continue to seek help with the challenging problem of divorcing a
narcissist, I've developed approaches that can help turn the energy of the
disease toward a settlement and away from contention and destruction. These are
hardly foolproof, but offer at least a chance of survival, and I've now
published these in
Surviving the Storm
I also began offering consulting by telephone. This, above other input, has most
shaped my understanding not just of the experience of living with an abusive partner,
but the disease process that drives abusive people. It is these highly interactive
discussions that have forged my thinking about disease. My challenge in consulting
is to make sense of peoples' experiences. I have to offer a mechanism to
explain what is happening, and it has to work for the person I'm consulting with.
This has led me to a belief that most aggressive, abusive behavior comes from
narcissism; not borderline PD or sociopathy (antisocial PD). In fact, I believe
that borderline PD and narcissistic PD are actually caused by the same underlying
psychological dynamic: a fear of others finding fault. I believe that poor coping
leads to behavior we call borderline, while at other times this dynamic leads to
building a more stable defensive structure - one the disordered person protects
viciously using abuse - which we consider narcissistic. I believe that few victims of prolonged
abuse are actually victimized by sociopaths.
Occasionally, a book order is flung back at me with a dismissive, "I thought this
was written by a professional." Well, save the postage; I'm no professional. But
my
insight is a lot more clear and complete than most mental health professionals will
ever achieve. Moreover, I make no pretense of treating anyone with a personality
disorder. My work is focused on helping those who live with these people, and it's
intensely practical and based in experience; not theories. There are lots of books
by people with PhD or even MSW after their names. But mine are among the most helpful
that many of my readers can find.
With that, I offer this list of education, experience, and qualifications:
- Founder of Dalkeith Press, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation
- President and Publisher, Dalkeith Press, Inc.
- Author of 6 books:
- Personal Consultant in abusive relationships/familial experience of abusive
personality disorders, 2005-present
- Mentor to others in abusive relationships, in online support groups, 2000- present
- Designer and author of the Dalkeith Press web sites,http://tearsandhealing.com
and http://dalkeithpress.com
- Designer and programmer of the Dalkeith Shopping cart pages
- Author and publisher of the Path to the Light and Tears and Healing web sites, 2001-2004
- Owner and moderator of the (now defunct) TearsandHealing support group 2004-2006
- Moderator of the wtotransitions yahoo group,
2001-present
- Consulting Expert Witness and Patent Litigation Consultant, 2002 - present
- Engineering Consultant and Inventor, DuPont Engineering, 1982-2004
- Inventor of 17 US Patents, 1987-1995
- Basic Accredited Professional Figure Skater, 2004 - present
- Certified Engineer Intern, Delaware Association of Professional Engineers, 2007
- Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University, 1982
- Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Michigan State Univeristy, 1978
- Graduate Certificate in Sport Psychology, Capella University, 2004
I'm not a psychologist nor a licensed mental health care provider. I do not diagnose
or treat mental illness. The personal consulting I offer is a consultation with
someone with expertise, not treatment. I recommend everyone consulting with me should
take advantage of counseling or therapy from a professional caregiver.
Richard Skerritt is a pen name, not my real name. The first printings of Tears and
Healing were attributed to Richard, 21CP, a poorly chosen first pen name. The hardcover
edition still bears this. I've participated in online groups as Richard21CP,
famous phil (famous21centphil), and even before as Non-Guy (NG).
I see most of the email sent to me. I often can give short answers on subjects not
covered in my books. If you haven't read my books, don't send me questions on subjects
that are covered by them - I do not respond to these. I can be reached at this address:
combine my first and last name without spaces, the @ sign, and dalkeithpress.com.
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