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 book offers speech and language therapists, and other allied health professionals, a practical resource for working in a distinctive way with children and young people, and their parents, to achieve their ‘best hopes’ from therapy. The authors share a wealth of knowledge and experience from the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering about how they use Solution Focused Brief Therapy to enhance their practice. This resource manual: Provides a step-by-step guide to starting solution-focused conversations, having follow-up meetings, drawing attention to what’s working, and ending well. Illustrates work with a broad range of clients who stammer, including clients with additional physical, learning, and emotional needs. Demonstrates the benefits of working systemically with children and young people and their parents or carers. Supports therapists to develop skills in working collaboratively with clients on what they want to achieve from therapy. Gives examples of how to ask helpful questions and have hope-filled conversations. Considers the benefits and challenges of working in a solution-focused way. Describes how to adapt solution-focused conversations according to the client’s age and stage. Presents a range of applications of SFBT including in groups and in clinical supervision. The manual is illustrated by a rich variety of case examples which brings the material to life and enables the reader to apply the principles to their own setting. It is an essential practical resource for therapists hoping to develop their skills in empowering parents and in supporting children and young people towards living their best life.

A comprehensive, theory-based approach to working with young clients in both school and clinical settings Counseling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents, Fifth Edition provides mental health professionals and students with state-of-the-art theory and practical guidance for major contemporary psychotherapeutic schools of thought. Children and adolescents are not just small adults; they have their own needs, requirements, and desires, on top of the issues presented by still-developing brains and limited life perspective. Providing care for young clients requires a deep understanding of the interventions and approaches that work alongside growing brains, and the practical skill to change course to align with evolving personalities. The thoroughly revised fifth edition is a comprehensive reference, complete with expert insight. Organized around theory, this book covers both clinical and school settings in the fields of psychology, counseling, and social work. Coverage of the latest thinking and practice includes Cognitive Behavioral, Rational-Emotive, Reality Therapy, Solution Focused, Family Systems, and Play Therapy, providing a complete resource for any mental health expert who works with young people. Understand the major approaches to counseling and psychotherapeutic interventions Discover the ethical and legal implications of working with children and adolescents Learn how to employ culturally responsive counseling with younger clients Examine interventions for children and adolescents with disabilities and health care needs This updated edition includes a stronger emphasis on the clinical application of theory to specific disorders of childhood and adolescence, and new coverage of the legal and ethical issues related to social media. Chapters include a case studies and online resources that make it ideal for classroom use, and new chapters on Solution-Focused Therapy and Play Therapy enhance usefulness to practicing therapists. Expert guidance covers techniques for working with individuals, groups, and parents, and explores the efficacy of the theories under discussion.

Comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of therapy Child and Adolescent Therapy: Science and Art, Second Edition relies on both psychotherapy research and clinical expertise to create a comprehensive guide to evidence-based practice for providers of child and adolescent therapy. It includes explanations of all major theoretical orientations and the techniques associated with each, with application to the major diagnostic categories. This updated Second Edition includes a new chapter on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), incorporation of recent neuroscience research, instruction in Motivational Interviewing, and guidance in using therapeutic diagrams with young clients. The book models the thought process of expert therapists by describing how the science and art of therapy can be combined to provide a strong basis for treatment planning and clinical decision-making. Theoretical concepts, empirically supported treatments, and best practices are translated into concrete, detailed form, with numerous examples of therapist verbalizations and conversations between counselor and client. Child and Adolescent Therapy: Science and Art, Second Edition: Explains the work of therapists from the ground up, beginning with fundamentals and moving on to advanced theory and technique Covers the major theoretical approaches: behavioral, cognitive, mindfulness-based, psychodynamic, constructivist, and family systems Guides therapists in planning effective treatment strategies with balanced consideration of outcome research, cultural factors, and individual client characteristics Connects treatment planning with the diagnostic characteristics of the major child and adolescent disorders For both students and skilled clinicians looking for new ideas and techniques, Child and Adolescent Therapy: Science and Art, Second Edition offers a thorough, holistic examination of how best to serve young therapy clients.

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.

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.

With the advance of evidence-based practice has come the publication of numerous dense volumes reviewing the theoretical and empirical components of child and adolescent treatment. There are also a variety of detailed treatment manuals that describe the step-by-step procedures to guide ongoing research and practice. The second edition of Craig Winston LeCroy's Handbook of Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Treatment Manuals is a forceful combination of the two approaches, as he gathers fifteen varied treatment manuals and brief summaries of the research supporting each to ensure that practitioners will truly understand how to implement the treatments they are using. A completely revised and expanded edition of the handbook's first edition, this is an essential guide to some of the best programs for helping children and teens. Each chapter begins with an explanatory section that discusses the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of the programs. The treatment manual follows, leading readers through sessions with specific details about conducting the treatment that have been refined and improved through extensive testing and research. Organized into three sections: the major clinical disorders, social problems confronting children and teens, and preventive interventions the Handbook brings together some of the most esteemed researcher-practitioners in the child and adolescent field. The book presents an impressive variety of innovative treatment programs and techniques including: the SiHLE program (intended to prevent problems confronting children and teens, and preventive interventions the Handbook brings together some of the most esteemed researcher-practitioners in the child and adolescent field. The book presents an impressive variety of innovative treatment programs and techniques including: the SiHLE program (intended to prevent HIV through education and self-esteem building), the Children of Divorce Intervention Program (a therapy for younger children stressing resilience and skill-building), and Strengths Oriented Family Therapy (which reaches out to substance-involved adolescents and their families). The Handbook of Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Treatment Manuals is an indispensable reference for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners working with children and adolescents in a multitude of settings, from schools and juvenile correction centers to group homes and family service agencies.

Creativity in Counseling Children and Adolescents shows counselors and other mental health professionals how to use a wide variety of creative and experiential activities that emphasize strengths and skills-focused work. The first section addresses the basic tenets of experiential learning, guiding readers through ways to build a creative and interactive environment for counseling. Later chapters lay out methods for choosing activities and finding the right match between diverse interests, skills, abilities, and cultural considerations. Once an activity is identified and implemented, the book shows counselors how to help children make meaning and capitalize on the benefits of the activity through processing and transferring skills.

Solution Focused Coaching for Adolescents explains the principles and attitude of the popular 11-step, Mission Possible, Solution Focused Coaching program for working with adolescents. By comparing the Mission Possible principles with the 'normal' way of problem-solving in coaching scenarios, the author makes the theoretical structure and conversational style of the program easy to learn for professionals. Applied both individually and as a group activity, Mission Possible is a learning experience that makes fulfilling dreams and achieving goals easier for teenagers and young adults. It helps to make difficult things accessible for them by using one's own strengths and resources. The book is filled with detailed case studies and useful coaching tools, breaking the program down into five themes, outlining the goals, the process, and any potential pitfalls. This practical book is intended for coaches, youth counselors, trainers, teachers, mentors, and therapists who want to coach young people using the clear step-by-step Mission Possible-program, and all those working in pastoral roles with children and adolescents.

An invaluable guide to the history, descriptions of practice strategies, and applications of SFBT! The Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a unique, comprehensive guide that assists clinicians, regardless of experience level, in learning and applying the concepts of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) to particular situations with clients. Noted experts discuss the therapy practices and various uses for the approach in detail, which focuses on encouraging clients to look at exceptions, times when the problem could have occurred and did not, and goals and future possibilities. A history of the practice model and its interventions is discussed, along with limitations, descriptions of practice strategies, applications to specific client populations, and clinical problems and concerns. This useful resource also includes an illustrative case study that uses the SFBT model. The Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy first lays a foundation of knowledge, providing chapters on the crucial assumptions and practices, history, and epistemology behind the approach. Further chapters use that basis to explain the application of the approach with several clinical issues and various populations, including couples, depression, domestic violence, schools, children, pastoral work, therapist burnout, and a few “outside therapy room” applications. Other chapters focus on the important issues in therapist training and supervision. Extensive references are provided at the end of each chapter. Topics discussed in the Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy include: assumptions within the SFBT tradition history of the SFBT approach epistemology SFBT with couples depression domestic violence offenders public schools children and young people SFBT in faith-based communities assessing and relieving burnout in mental health practice SFBT beyond the therapy room supervision of training possible limitations, misunderstandings, and misuses of SFBT a tribute to the late Steven de Shazer, co-founder of the SFBT approach The Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is an invaluable reference for all types of therapists, including psychologists, counselors, social workers, and family therapists at any level of experience, including students, trainees, and experienced therapists.