There is growing evidence for the powerful role that music plays in enhancing children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. Written for a broad audience of mental health professionals, this is the first book to provide accessible ways of integrating music into clinical work with children and adolescents. Rich case vignettes show how to use singing, drumming, listening to music, and many other strategies to connect with hard-to-reach children, promote self-regulation, and create opportunities for change. The book offers detailed guidelines for addressing different clinical challenges, including attachment difficulties, trauma, and behavioral, emotional, and communication problems. Each chapter concludes with concrete recommendations for practice; an appendix presents a photographic inventory of recommended instruments.

Many young people rely on music to guide them through the good and bad times of their lives. Whether immersing themselves in music to process emotions or creating music as a means of self-expression, it provides a powerful outlet that can help young people navigate the turbulence of adolescence. Centred around the three key areas of emotion, identity, and connectedness, the Handbook of Music, Adolescents, and Wellbeing provides insights into the relationship between music and young people, exploring questions such as: why do teenagers have such a passionate relationship with music? Why this is even more apparent and important during times of difficulty? How can music be utilised to enhance wellbeing? With 26 authors from around the globe, this book canvasses a wide range of perspectives, from the most scientific to the most practical. Each chapter contains insightful stories from the authors' own experiences working with young people, and brings together the latest theory, research, and practice from the fields of music therapy, music psychology, music education, and music sociology to explore and understand how and why music plays such a big part in young lives. The first section addresses the popular topic of music and emotions, clarifying the ways that young people can learn to use music intentionally to achieve healthy outcomes. The second section looks at identity construction, emphasising agency in the ways that young people choose to express themselves both personally and to others. The third section explores connectedness, with a particular emphasis on uses of technology to connect with others. This book will be of interest to music therapists, youth and social workers, psychologists, counsellors, occupational therapists, teachers, parents, and anyone interested in promoting adolescent wellbeing through music.

In this new edition Blake gives a personal account of his professional experience of working with children and adolescents over the last 45 years. Providing a wonderful integration of the conceptual and the practical, this book clarifies complex theory while giving practical advice for clinicians through a nuts and bolts description of how to interview parents, emotionally assess a child and adolescent, set up a consulting room and conduct a therapy session. The addition of chapter summaries, questions and suggested further readings provides a valuable structure to those in child and adolescent training programmes. The author’s experience, gained from public and private work, is vividly described with the use of clinical examples to illustrate his thinking and way of working. This third edition highlights his evolution from a more traditional epistemological (knowing) approach, with its emphasis on interpretation and insight, to a more ontological (being) framework. He explores a more intuitive and unconscious way of working and argues this is more developmentally appropriate to children and adolescents. His accessible writing style transports the reader into his clinical world: a world full of fascinating stories of children talking through their play; of adolescents exploring who they are through their discussions about music, films, sport and computer games; of helping parents to understand and thoughtfully manage their child’s emotional struggles. This new edition, an amalgam of theoretical orientations (Kleinian, Bionian, Winnicottian, relational, non-linear and neurological), draws from recent developments, both in theory and technique. It will be of immense value to psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and all those involved in the treatment of children’s mental health.

This edited collection by David A. Crenshaw, with contributions from such notables as James Garbarino, Kenneth V. Hardy, and Andrew Fussner, addresses the multiple sources of wounding of children and teens in contemporary life. The book conveys a message of hope and optimism, even in work with children who might be viewed as 'impossible cases,' because the contributors share a passion for utilizing and building on the strengths of children and families. These authors go beyond treating psychiatric symptoms to address in a more comprehensive way the emotional suffering of youth. The unifying treatment framework for the book is relational therapy. The emotional injuries of children do not develop in a vacuum, but rather in a relational context, and healing must also be embedded in an empathic relationship between the child and the family. Building, repairing, and restoring connections within the family and the larger community, as well as within the therapeutic relationship, opens the door to growth, healing, and meaningful belonging. The stories of triumph over adversity by the courageous children and families in this book will inspire those who daily strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of hurting youth to renew their commitment to this worthy mission.

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.

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In this book, Peter Blake follows the therapeutic process, from assessment (referral and initial interview, individual assessment, developmental considerations, assessment for therapy, working with parents) to therapy (physical and mental settings, interpretation, the role and challenges of play, transference and countertransference, termination). Drawing on the Winnicottian tradition, in which fun and humor have a place in child and adolescent work, Blake demonstrates how a therapist can be playful and less directly interpretative. How psychodynamic thinking can be applied in an effective yet time-limited manner is also demonstrated. The text is enlivened by many case studies and clinical anecdotes.