Brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) is an evidence-based intervention for diagnosing and correcting patterns of family interactions that are linked to distressing experiences and symptoms in children ages 6-18. This clinical guide shows practitioners how to transform family interactions from conflictive to collaborative, from habitual to…

Children who are adopted at an older age through foster care and those adopted from overseas orphanages are at high risk for behavioral and emotional distress. This important manual presents a structured, evidence-based protocol for providing mental health treatment to families adopting vulnerable children. Drawing on their extensive clinical…

A therapeutic model to help families activate experiential and right hemispheric functioning through hypnosis is presented in detail, together with a clinical illustration. Different situations in which this model is effective are mentioned and one such set of circumstances is described. (Author)

The article discusses handling communication between a therapist and members of families of deaf persons and among the family members themselves. The article also describes when it is and is not helpful to implement clinical procedures delineated by one paradigm while de-emphasizing the other. Several therapy transcripts are presented as…

In addition to facilitating communication between family members, when one member is deaf, an interpreter can help the therapist to modify family rules which may prohibit the use of sign language, to modify the balance of power, and to encourage participants to exhibit the ego defense mechanisms. (Author)

For more than half a decade, the author edited a quarterly ethics column focusing on family work, first in the "International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors Newsletter" and later in "The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families." These columns responded to ethical dilemmas in family work…

The author draws a parallel between the psychological stages of adjustment a newly blinded individual goes through and the stages of adjustment experienced by the parents of a blind child. (Author/SB)

Presenting a developmentally grounded approach to treating a wide range of adolescent problems, this book shows how troubled teenagers and their parents can be helped to use family relationships as catalysts for growth and change. Case examples, practical discussions of the process of assessment and therapy, and straightforward clinical advice are…

Examines the ethical and legal implications of adhering to treatment protocols in family therapy outcome research. Safeguards are proposed to minimize risks to subjects, and guidelines are suggested to prevent therapist deviation from treatment protocols. (Author)

This chapter presents counseling ideas and strategies to promote family trust and confidence. These steps include getting the family into the office, the role of proper attire, displaying of credentials, seating arrangements, and the acquisition of informed consent. Also presented is the author's approach to a first family counseling session, with…

Closure of the counseling relationship constitutes both an ending and a beginning. Although closure signifies the ending of the present counseling relationship, many family counselors conceptualize closure as the start of a working relationship between counselor and family that may be summoned in future times of crisis or during a difficult life…

Presents a rationale for family service professionals to communicate through the mass media to improve the functioning of agencies and contribute to the welfare of the community. Offers detailed suggestions for working with the media, i.e., improving relations, acting as a news source, and participating in broadcast interviews. (Author/WAS)

Presents a method for examining the Targeted Dysfunctional Behavior (TDB) cycle to help therapists and clients identify many possibilities for bringing about change, especially in the beginning of treatment. Theoretical rationale, stages of the cycle, and model are described with examples. The TDB cycle is outlined. (Author/EMK)

The purpose of this workbook is to help youth to take the lead in planning for their adult lives. The workbook shares important information, encourages youth to begin thinking about life after high school, and offers ideas they can use to plan routes to reach their goals. This is not a workbook parents, educators or others should hand to young…

This paper illustrates the construction, delivery, and processing of therapeutic stimulus metaphors in couple or family therapy. An introduction to the therapeutic metaphor discusses the uses of metaphors in therapy to denote a likeness between a client and another object or person, and to avoid client resistance. The usefulness of metaphors in…