Therapy referrals for a child or young person can be motivated for a number of reasons. The parents, carers or professionals responsible for their wellbeing might describe a sudden change in presentation, risk taking behaviour, such as self-harm or experimentation with drugs, alcohol or sex, or they might label the young person as over reacting, under reacting or attention seeking. Such behaviour prompts concern for their safety and confusion about why the child or young person is presenting the way they are. This book offers a thoughtful approach to making sense of such behaviour and encourages adults to ‘reflect on’ rather than ‘react to’ young peoples’ outward presentations. Based on the author’s work with children, young people and families over two decades, this book shares reflections from the therapy room and illustrates how the therapist can try to make sense of mood, behaviour and presentations that previously made no sense. The content relies heavily on clinical experience as well as drawing on classical and contemporary psychotherapeutic literature. So often adults find themselves reacting to observable behaviour in a judgmental or punitive way, rather than pausing to consider what the behaviour might be communicating. The author aims to model a thoughtful reflective approach to making sense of what might be going on for children and young people and this book will be of great interest to child and adolescent psychotherapists, related professionals and those with an interest in young persons’ mental health.

In Stories from Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy author Henry Kronengold explores the unpredictable world of child and adolescent psychotherapy through a series of engaging and innovative clinical vignettes. The ups, downs, and dilemmas of therapeutic work are considered in each realistic narrative as readers are offered a unique view of what happens between the therapist and child, as well as the therapist’s own process during the therapy. This captivating new resource is intended to spark a conversation within the reader, regardless of professional experience, regarding which therapeutic factors are ultimately most helpful to children and adolescents.

This second edition provides a uniquely comprehensive guide to the practice and principles of child and adolescent psychotherapy around the world and has been thoroughly updated to take into account the many changes that have taken place.

This book addresses the challenges faced when children who refuse to talk, children who lack psychological mindedness, teens who experience a strong aversion to the influence of any adult, and children and teens who mask their woundedness by hostility or diffidence show up for therapy. This book does not push one therapeutical or theoretical approach over another but specifically describes useful tools that can be utilized within a wide range of approaches.

Child and Adolescent Anxiety Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, CAPP, is a new, manualized, tested, 24-session psychotherapeutic approach to working psychodynamically with youth with anxiety disorders. This book describes how clinicians intervene by collaboratively identifying the meanings of anxiety symptoms and maladaptive behaviors and to communicate the emotional meaning of these symptoms to the child. The treatment is conducted from a developmental perspective and the book contains clinical examples of how to approach youth of varying ages. The authors demonstrate that CAPP can help youth: · Reduce anxiety symptoms by developing an understanding of the emotional meaning of symptoms · Enhance children's skill of reflection and self-observation of one's own and others' motivations (improvement in symptom-specific reflective functioning) · Diminish use of avoidance, dependence and rigidity by showing that underlying emotions (e.g. guilt, shame, anger), as well as conflicted wishes and desires can be tolerated and understood · Understand fantasies and personal emotional significance surrounding the anxiety symptoms to reduce symptoms' magical qualities and impact on the child The manual provides a description of psychodynamic treatment principles and technique and offers a guide to opening, middle, and termination phases of this psychotherapy. It contains chapters on the historical background of psychodynamic child psychotherapy, on developmental aspects of child psychotherapy, and on the nature of parent involvement in the treatment. It will be useful for clinicians from diverse therapy backgrounds and it will appeal to the student reader, as well as to the experienced clinician.

This book investigates the experiences of severely troubled children and their families, teachers, and child psychoanalytic psychotherapists working together in primary schools. The book begins by looking at children’s emotional life during the primary school years and what can disrupt ordinary, helpful social development and learning. It examines what child psychoanalytic psychotherapy is, how it works, and why it is offered in primary schools. The following chapters intersperse accounts of creative child psychoanalytic approaches with interviews with parents, carers, teachers, and clinicians. A section focusing on mainstream primary schools presents parent–child interventions for a nursery class; child group psychotherapy with children from traumatized families; and consultation to school staff, with personal accounts from parents, a kinship carer, a family support worker, a deputy head, and a child psychotherapist. Chapters then focus on alternative educational settings, featuring a school for children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities; a primary pupil referral unit; and a therapeutic school. These chapters show psychotherapy with a non-verbal boy with autism; therapy groups with children who have missed out on the building blocks of development alongside reflective groups for school staff; and child psychotherapy approaches at lunchtime and in breaks, with insights from a parent, a clinical lead nurse, a head teacher, and a child psychotherapist. Finally, there is an evaluation of evidence about the impact of child psychotherapy within primary schools. Recognizing the increasing importance of attending to the emotional difficulties of children whose relationships and learning are in jeopardy, this book will be invaluable to all those working in primary schools, to commissioners of child mental health services, to parents and carers, and to experienced and training clinicians.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the process of building healthy early social and emotional relationships with infants from a developmental perspective. The book synthesizes current research on the contextual influences of attachment, family relationships, and caregiving practices on social-emotional development. Chapters examine the processes of socioemotional development—particularly in relationships with parents, other family members, and peers—and identify areas for promoting healthy attachments and resilience, improving caregiving skills, and intervening in traumatic and stressful situations. Chapters also present empirically-supported intervention and prevention programs focused on building early relationships from birth through three years of age. The book concludes with future directions for supporting infant mental health and its vital importance as a component of research, clinical and educational practice, and child and family policy. Topics featured in this book include: The effect of prenatal and neonatal attachment on social and emotional development. The impact of primary relationships and early experiences in toddlerhood. Toddler autonomy and peer awareness in the context of families and child care. Supporting early social and emotional relationships through The Legacy for ChildrenTM Intervention. How to build early relationship programming across various cultures. Building Early Social and Emotional Relationships with Infants and Toddlers is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians and professionals, and graduate students in the fields of infant mental health, developmental psychology, pediatrics, public health, family studies, and early childhood education.