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.

This practice-oriented book demonstrates an innovative, effective, brief therapy approach for time-sensitive assessment and intervention with children and families. With trademark creativity, flexibility, and humor, Matthew Selekman combines the best elements of a range of current approaches with family play and art therapy techniques, to create a comprehensive solution-focused model. Illustrated by numerous case examples and session transcripts, and supported by empirical research, Solution-Focused Therapy with Children helps frontline clinicians--regardless of level of experience--master the skills they need to bring about rapid, lasting change.

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 Play Therapy is an essential text that blends the process of play therapy with solution-focused therapy. With a focus on child strengths and resources, this book identifies key concepts and principles in solution-focused play therapy (SFPT). The author provides neurobiological and developmental support for SFPT and guidance on how practitioners can transition from using a non-directive approach to a more directive and activity-based approach based on the developmental needs of the child. Chapters describe the 12 basic skills needed for employing this approach with children of all ages and their families. Harnessing a strengths-oriented approach, the author presents expressive ways to use key SFPT techniques, including the miracle question, scaling, finding exceptions, and end-of-session feedback. Clinicians will come away from the book with a suite of interventions, strategies, handouts, and forms that can be employed with children of all ages and their families, from strength-based assessment and treatment planning to the final celebration session.

Tools for Effective Therapy with Children and Families provides mental health professionals with step-by-step tools and strategies for effective therapeutic outcomes with children and their families. An integration of solution-focused brief therapy and play therapy, this groundbreaking book is uniquely suited to clinicians working with school-aged children and their parents. Tools for Effective Therapy with Children and Families uses clearly articulated and creative play activities to elicit conversations about solutions, successes, and collaborative goals with clients. Session transcripts and technique illustrations throughout the chapters allow clinicians to see the solution-focused approach in action.

Structured, therapist-led approaches to play therapy are becoming increasingly popular due to their time-limited nature and efficacy for such specific disorders as trauma and attachment issues. This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of numerous directive play therapy techniques and interventions that are empirically validated and can be adapted for use in clinical, school, group, and family settings. Designed for both students and practitioners, the text addresses the theoretical bases for these approaches and provides in-depth, practical guidance for their use. The book describes how directive play therapies differ from nondirective therapies and illustrates best practices in using directive techniques. It examines such diverse approaches as cognitive behavioral, solution focused, sensorimotor, and the use of creative arts in play therapy. Each approach is covered in terms of its theoretical foundation, research basis, specific techniques for practice, and a case example. The text describes how to adapt directive play therapy techniques for use in various contexts, such as with families, in groups, and in schools. Helpful templates for treatment planning and case documentation are also included, making the book a valuable resource for both training courses and practicing professionals in play therapy, clinical mental health counseling, child counseling, school counseling, child and family social work, marriage and family therapy, and clinical child psychology. Key Features: Delivers step-by-step guidance for using directive play therapy techniques--the first book to do so Addresses theoretical basis, research support, and practical techniques for a diverse range of therapies Covers varied settings and contexts including school, clinical, group, and family settings Includes case studies Provides templates for treatment planning and case documentation

Therapists often despair when considering using Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), so successful with adults, with children. Insoo Kim Berg and Therese Steiner show this despair to be unwarranted. These two master therapists lead readers through a series of conceptual and practical steps that elucidate just how the nonverbal, playful, and creative habits of children can support successful therapy based on the SFBT model. Children's Solution Work is necessary reading for anyone who associates with children and takes a concern for their development'linicians, social workers, teachers, daycare workers, and parents. By focusing on and expanding the bases for engagement and communication between adult and child, Berg and Steiner provide adaptable tools for diagnosis, therapy, and negotiating differences at home. Full of examples and case studies, the Children's Solution Work demonstrates creative techniques and strategies for working with children without relying exclusively on language or conceptual thinking. The application of these techniques is discussed in various contexts and situations, including adapting them to suit cases of children with uncommon needs. Berg and Steiner also address questions typically raised by clinicians about the use of SFBT with children and consider the usefulness of this form of SFBT when working with adolescents.