The Solution Focused Approach with Children and Young People: Current Thinking and Practice brings together leading figures and innovative practitioners from different professions, contexts and countries to provide a unique overview of Solution Focused work with children and young people. Presenting a range of applications in individual, group and community work, it puts the spotlight on diverse fields, exploring how the Solution Focused approach can work in real-world contexts. This book showcases a powerful, engaging approach which helps children and young people find the resources and strengths to manage difficulties and make the most of their lives. It contains interesting case studies, narrative descriptions of original practice, programmes of work developed using Solution Focused principles, and thought-provoking discussions of key elements of practice. With chapters presenting perspectives from coaching, therapy, consultancy and education, and applications including learning assessments, child protection, bereavement, edge of care, and youth offending, the book provides an overview of the current state of practice and provides pointers to potential new developments. The Solution Focused Approach with Children and Young People will help both experienced practitioners and those new to the approach to develop and update their knowledge and skills, as well as introducing them to creative and cutting-edge tools to inspire fresh ideas and thinking. It will be essential reading for Solution Focused practitioners and students, as well as coaches, social workers, school counsellors and mental health professionals working with children and young people.

Solution focused approaches offer proven ways of helping children overcome a whole range of difficulties, from academic problems to mental health issues, by helping them to identify their strengths and achievements. Based on solution focused practice principles, this book illustrates communication skills and playful techniques for working with all children and young people, regardless of any health, learning or development need. It demonstrates how the approach can capture children's views, wishes and worries, and can assist them in identifying their strengths and abilities. The approach encourages positive decision-making, and helps children to overcome challenges, achieve their goals and reach their full potential. The book is packed with case examples, practical strategies, and practice activities. This valuable text will be of great use to a range of practitioners working with children and young people, including social workers, youth workers, counsellors, teachers and nurses.

Brief Coaching with Children and Young People: A Solution Focused approach is the first book of its type to describe the thinking and practice of Solution Focused coaching with these age groups. The approach empowers young people to find their own solutions in the shortest possible time, focusing on where they want to get to rather than the details of the problem they are concerned about. The authors’ emphasis on practical and straightforward techniques and materials will equip all those interested in working with and supporting young people and their families to help them achieve their hopes for the future. The book is illustrated with numerous examples from the coaching practice of the authors in different settings, with a particular emphasis on challenging cases. As a whole, it serves as a key resource for working with children and young people, but each chapter can also be read individually to enhance the reader’s understanding of the topic. Downloadable resources are available online which enhance the practicality of the text. Ratner and Yusuf have created a practical, jargon-free resource for all those who work with and support children, young people and their families. It will be invaluable for coaches, therapists and counsellors as well as anyone who interacts with children and young people, including social workers, teachers and mentors and foster parents.

Solution-Focused Therapy with Children and Adolescents offers mental health professionals an integration of creative and playful approaches and solution-focused therapy. The author presents developmentally appropriate and expressive alternatives to oral communication including sandtray, writing, puppetry, drawing and coloring, photography, and music. The text presents an overview of strength-based and creative approaches with a focused examination of the philosophy and process of solution-focused therapy, then divides chapters into specific stages of therapy—beginnings, searching for treasure, setting goals, and ending the session—with creative techniques offered in each section. The final chapter addresses working with children and adolescents in solution-focused groups, including how to set up groups and progress through different group stages, presenting specific techniques and activities focused on each stage of the group process.

Brief Coaching offers a new approach to coaching by considering how the client will know when they have reached their goal, and what they are already doing to get there. The coach aims to work towards the solution rather than working away from the problem, so that the client's problem is not central to the session, but instead the coach and the client work towards the client's preferred future. This book employs case examples and transcripts of sessions to offer guidance on: looking for resources rather than deficits exploring possible and preferred futures examining what is already contributing to that future treating clients as experts in all aspects of their lives. This practical guide includes summaries and activities for the coach to do with the client and will therefore be a useful tool for both new and experienced coaches, as well as therapists branching into coaching who want to add to their existing skills.

In this engaging guide, Matthew Selekman presents cutting-edge strategies for helping children and their families overcome a wide range of emotional and behavioral challenges. Vivid case material illustrates how to engage clients rapidly and implement interventions that elicit their strengths. Integrating concepts and tools from a variety of therapeutic traditions, Selekman describes creative applications of interviewing, family art and play, postmodern and narrative techniques, and positive psychology. He highlights ways to promote spontaneity, fun, and new possibilities—especially with clients who feel stuck in longstanding difficulties and entrenched patterns of interaction. The book updates and refines the approach originally presented in Selekman's acclaimed Solution-Focused Therapy with Children.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques provides a concise and jargon-free guide to the thinking and practice of this exciting approach, which enables people to make changes in their lives quickly and effectively. It covers: The history and background to solution focused practice The philosophical underpinnings of the approach Techniques and practices Specific applications to work with children and adolescents, (including school-based work) families, and adults How to deal with difficult situations Organisational applications including supervision, coaching and leadership. Frequently asked questions This book is an invaluable resource for all therapists and counsellors, whether in training or practice. It will also be essential for any professional whose job it is to help people make changes in their lives, and will therefore be of interest to social workers, probation officers, psychiatric staff, doctors, and teachers, as well as those working in organisations as coaches and managers.