Solution-Focused Therapy with Children: Harnessing Family Strengths for Systemic Change

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.

Table of Contents:
Expanding the Possibilities: An Integrative Solution-Focused Therapy Approach with Children. The Solution-oriented Family Assessment Interview: An Efficient and Comprehensive Evaluative Method. Interviewing for Change: Questions as Interventive Tools for Empowering Children and their Families. Finding Fit: Guidelines for Therapeutic Task Design, Selection and Implementation. Curious George Meets Dr. Seuss: Family Play and Art Therapy Strategies. Guidelines for Optimizing Therapeutic Cooperation in Second and Subsequent Sessions. Co-constructing Change: Hosting Collaborative Conversations with Allies from Larger Systems. "Impossible" Cases: From Therapeutic Breakthroughs to Treatment Failures. Helping Children and their Families Succeed in a Managed Care World. Solution-Focused Therapy and Beyond: Major Themes and Implications for the Future.

About the Author :
Matthew D. Selekman, MSW, is a couple and family therapist and addictions counselor in private practice and the codirector of Partners for Collaborative Solutions, an international family therapy training and consulting firm in Evanston, Illinois, and is an Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He received the Walter S. Rosenberry Award in 1999, 2000, and 2006 from The Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, for his significant contributions to the fields of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences. Mr. Selekman is the author of numerous family therapy articles and several books. He has presented workshops on his collaborative strengths-based family therapy approach with challenging children and adolescents extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, and Australia.

Review :
'Easy to read and highly informative. I picked up from it lots of ideas which I am sure I will find useful in my work with families, and indeed I have already found some of them to be of value ... I recommend this as a valuable addition to the family therapy literature.' - The Canadian Child Psychiatry Review 'Throughout the book, Selekman's creativity and spontaneity shine through ... He offers clinicians a perspective of hope and optimism while drawing on the expertise and competencies of clients in meeting their goals. This book should be required reading for anyone doing clinical work with children and families.' - Journal of Systemic Therapies 'This pragmatic book by an accomplished therapist succeeds in presenting an integrated solution-focused approach for children and their families ... Should be very helpful to child mental health clinicians, clinical supervisors, graduate school instructors, and graduate students.' - Psychiatric Services 'This is an excellent book for clinicians working with children from a systemic perspective. It is well-written in a language that clinicians understand. It gives many wonderfully creative examples that therapists can easily apply to their own cases. I will keep it handy on my bookshelf and use it when I need a fresh idea with families who have young children.' - Journal of Family Psychotherapy 'Easy to read and highly informative. I picked up from it lots of ideas which I am sure I will find useful in my work with families, and indeed I have already found some of them to be of value ... I recommend this as a valuable addition to the family therapy literature.' - The Canadian Child Psychiatry Review 'Throughout the book, Selekman's creativity and spontaneity shine though ... He offers clinicians a perspective of hope and optimism while drawing on the expertise and competencies of clients in meeting their goals. This book should be required reading for anyone doing clinical work with children and families.' - Journal of Systemic Therapies 'Selekman provides solid tools for working effectively and respectfully with children and families in today's cost-conscious managed care environment.' - Bill O'Hanlon, MS