A common question at the initial meeting of a family therapist and a new client(s) is often whether or not to include a child or children in the counseling sessions. The inclusion of a child in the family therapy process often changes the dynamic between client and therapist -- and between the clients themselves -- within the context of the counseling sessions. And yet, although this is such a common experience, many counselors and family therapists are not adequately equipped to advise parents on whether to include a child in therapy sessions. Once the child does make an appearance in the counseling session, the therapist is faced with the challenges inherent in caring for a child, in addition to many concerns due to the unique circumstance of the structured therapy. Counseling a child in the context of a family therapy session is a specific skill that has not received the attention that it deserves. This book is intended as a guide for both novice and experienced counselors and family therapists, covering a wide range of topics and offering a large body of information on how to effectively counsel children and their families. It includes recent research on a number of topics including working with children in a family context, the exclusion of children from counseling, and counselor training methods and approaches, the effectiveness of filial play therapy, the effects of divorce on children, and ADHD. Theoretical discussion is given to different family therapy approaches including family play therapy and filial play therapy. Central to the text are interviews with leaders in the field, including Salvador Minuchin, Eliana Gil, Rise VanFleet and Lee Shilts. A chapter devoted to ethical and legal issues in working with children in family counseling provides a much-needed overview of this often overlooked topic. Chapters include discussion of specific skills relevant to child counseling in the family context, case vignettes and examples, practical tips for the counselor, and handouts for parents.

Bringing together an array of highly creative contributors, this comprehensive resource presents a unique collection of assessment and treatment techniques. Contributors illustrate how play, art, drama, and other approaches can effectively engage families and help them resolve complex problems. Practitioners from divergent theoretical orientations, work settings, or client specialisations will find a plethora of stimulating and useable clinical interventions in this book.

In Children in Therapy, Everett Bailey brings together a stellar group of clinicians and researchers to describe the benefits and process of involving families in children? therapy and to discuss ways therapists can effectively integrate individual family members into the overall treatment of children. Divided into three parts, the book presents theoretical perspectives of five different competency-based approaches: solution-oriented brief therapy, narrative therapy, collaborative language systems therapy, internal family systems therapy, and emotionally focused family therapy; addresses common disorders or problems that children present with, for example: anxiety, depression, oppositional behavior, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and problems around divorce; and explains five additional applications for working with children and their families, including how to engage families in therapeutic play, how to involve parents and especially fathers in the therapy, and the importance of considering children? resilience and social and emotional development. Children in Therapy takes a comprehensive look at the ways therapists can use the family as a resource and draw on the inherent strengths of children and families in order to help children heal. For students and experienced clinicians who wish to expand their therapeutic approaches with children, this book is an invaluable resource.

A treasure trove of creative tools and strategies to engage children in therapy. Finding a therapy that “fits” kids--one that cuts through their continuous state of overstimulation and aversion to traditional language-based methods--is not easy. Now in paperback, this books offers clinicians an array of inventive, multifaceted therapy techniques, from brain-based tips to family-oriented exercises.

UK therapist Alan Carr expounds upon the psychotherapy method presented in his 1995 treatment manual, Positive Practice: A Step by Step Guide to Family Therapy. Via collected papers published from 1986-1997, he discusses the evolution of this brief integrative approach to consultation with families who require help with child- focused psychosocial difficulties, its clinical applications, a review of evaluation studies, and family psychology as an emerging field. Child protection issues, but not system specifics, are generalizable to therapeutic settings in the US. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Structured Play-Based Interventions for Engaging Children and Adolescents in Therapy is a compilation of playful interventions for use by mental health professionals treating children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral problems.

This classic volume, now completely revised, has helped tens of thousands of therapists integrate play therapy and family therapy techniques in clinical practice. Eliana Gil demonstrates a broad range of verbal and nonverbal strategies for engaging all family members--including those who are ambivalent toward therapy--and tailoring interventions for different types of presenting problems. Numerous case examples illustrate ways to effectively use puppets, storytelling, art making, the family play genogram, drama, and other expressive techniques with children, adolescents, and their parents. Gil offers specific guidance for becoming a more flexible, creative practitioner and shows how recent advances in neuroscience support her approach. Photographs of client artwork are included. New to This Edition *Incorporates 20 years of clinical experience and the ongoing development of Gil's influential integrative approach. *All-new case material. *Discusses how current brain research can inform creative interventions. *Heightened focus on personal metaphors, complete with detailed suggestions for exploring and processing them.