Narrative Therapies with Children and their Families introduces and develops the concepts and principles of narrative approaches to therapeutic work and demonstrates how narrative based approaches to practice provide a powerful and client friendly framework for engaging and working with troubled children and their families. Using clinical examples, each chapter develops a methodology around narrative practice and gives practical advice on working with narrative therapy in a variety of settings. Covering a broad range of difficult and sensitive topics, including trauma, abuse and youth offending, this book succeeds in illustrating the wide application of these principles in the context of the particular issues and challenges presented when working with children and families. This practical, practice based book will be welcomed by any professionals in the field of child, adolescent and family mental health who want to explore the benefits of employing narrative based approaches in their work.

Narrative Therapies with Children and their Families introduces and develops the concepts and principles of narrative approaches to therapeutic work and demonstrates how narrative based approaches to practice provide a powerful and client friendly framework for engaging and working with troubled children and their families. Using clinical examples, each chapter develops a methodology around narrative practice and gives practical advice on working with narrative therapy in a variety of settings. Covering a broad range of difficult and sensitive topics, including trauma, abuse and youth offending, this book succeeds in illustrating the wide application of these principles in the context of the particular issues and challenges presented when working with children and families. This practical, practice based book will be welcomed by any professionals in the field of child, adolescent and family mental health who want to explore the benefits of employing narrative based approaches in their work.

This book is written for mental health practitioners, therapists, and clinicians, who work with families and their children. It provides ways of working with children that promotes cooperation, collaboration, and respect in family relationships. It also suggests a de-centered position for clinicians in relation to clients.

The authors describe their success with narrative therapy, a lighter, playful approach to the serious problems encountered in child and family therapy. They provide case vignettes in the first two sections which show how children who might have been labeled belligerent, hyperactive, anxious, or out of touch with reality are found to be capable of taming their tempers, controlling frustration, and using their imaginations to the fullest. They address the helpful role of family members, as well. The third section of the text offers five extended case stories. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Showcasing approaches as creative and playful as young clients themselves, the book presents therapy as a dialogue of discovery. Through transcripts and compelling case examples, contributors illuminate how drama, art, play, and humor can be used effectively to engage with children of different ages, and to honor their idiosyncratic language, knowledge, and perspective.

This handbook examines the development and use of manuals to guide and support systemic couples and family therapies. It addresses the process of manualizing, providing a secure base for therapist creativity rather than delineating prescriptive procedures. The volume addresses therapist and trainer concerns by demonstrating the value of sufficiently articulating clinical and teaching models to inform colleagues of what actually occurs during therapy. The book describes the history, value, and controversies of manuals. In addition, it explores issues and experiences in the creation of manuals, identifies research issues related to the use and evaluation of manuals, and addresses training as a context for the application of treatment manuals. Key areas of coverage include: Reports of experiences with major, internationally established manuals, formulations of innovative practices by their developers, and specifications of training programs. Discussion of the various formats of manuals, demonstrating their benefit and transportability across different contexts. Surveys of a broad selection of manuals, creating a flexible and diversified concept of what forms manuals may take. Essential guidance for using manuals, which is an indispensable step for the field to progress and to claim to health resource commissioning, governments and insurance agencies that the systemic practice is evidence based and effective. The Handbook of Systemic Approaches to Psychotherapy Manuals is an essential resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians and related therapists and professionals in clinical psychology, family studies, public health, social work, psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychology and all interrelated disciplines.