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

Matthew D. Selekman MSW (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1572302305 | ISBN-13: 978-1572302303 | Publication Date: June 7, 1997 | Edition: 1

This practice-oriented book clearly demonstrates an innovative, effective brief family therapy approach for children with emotional and behavorial difficulties. Numerous case examples and session transcripts illustrate the author's presentation of creative strategies for time-sensitive assessment and intervention with even the toughest child cases. Selekman provides practical guidelines and troubleshooting techniques to help clinicians meet the demands of managed care; create a climate for change; optimize cooperation throughout the therapeutic relationship; design novel therapeutic tasks; and collaborate productively with helping professionals from larger systems. The book also includes findings from important studies of resilient high-risk children, which inform the intervention design and provide empirical support.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The gift of this book is the tools it offers therapists. Selekman draws from children's games and literature, uses art and other experiential exercises, capitalizes on the natural resources of children and their families, and elicits help from relevant social network members--all toward highlighting childrens' voices, helping therapists find their 'creative edge,' and making work with children and their families fun and hopeful. In sum, it is upbeat and chock-full of resources." --Harlene Anderson, PhD, Founding Member and Faculty, Houston Galveston Institute and The Taos Institute

"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, co-author of In Search of Solutions; A Brief Guide to Brief Therapy; Shifting Contexts; A Field Guide to Possibilityland

"Matthew Selekman truly believes that all children and families have strengths that can be mobilized to produce rapid behavioral change....He converts that optimistic spirit into a highly readable, practical guide." --Steven Wolin, MD, coauthor of The Resilient Self

"Charming, inventive, and joyful. These are unusual words in the family therapy business, but they are appropriate for this well-written and enjoyable book. Selekman supplements tried and true solution-focused techniques with an impressive collection of old and new methods taken from the far corners of the therapy world and modified to fit into a solution-focused approach....If you wish to know what an 'advanced' solution-focused model looks like, read this book!" --Don Efron, MSW, Senior Co-editor, Journal of Systemic Therapies

"Blending insights from solution-focused, narrative, and traditional therapeutic approaches, Matthew Selekman offers a plethora of creative and practical suggestions for facilitating therapeutic change....His book fills a large void heretofore present in the solution-focused literature." --Scott D. Miller, PhD, Institute for the Study of Therapeutic Change

"Throughout the book, Selekman's creativity and spontaneity shine through....Selekman presents his integrative Solution-Focused approach in a clear and easy to read format with numerous case examples and edited transcripts to make his points. 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." --Cynthia Mittelmeier, PhD, in Journal of Systemic Therapies

About the Author

Matthew D. Selekman, MSW, has a family therapy training practice in Evanston, Illinois. An Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, he has presented workshops on Solution-Focused Therapy with children and adolescents extensively throughout North America and Europe. He is the author of Pathways to Change: Brief Therapy Solutions with Difficult Adolescents and the coeditor of Family Therapy Approaches with Adolescent Substance Abusers, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Systemic Therapies.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (June 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572302305
• ISBN-13: 978-1572302303
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss it, February 17, 2000

By 

Leah K. Walker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solution-Focused Therapy with Children: Harnessing Family Strengths for Systemic Change (Hardcover)

This book, which I can't believe no one else has reviewed, is outstanding. It provides very good, concrete ideas to use in an integrated approach to therapy with kids. The solution focused, strength based approach is a refreshing change from pathology based treatment.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent: a must have for anyone working with children, December 18, 2002

By 

Ann Marie Yezzi-Shareef "annamaria777" (Erie, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solution-Focused Therapy with Children: Harnessing Family Strengths for Systemic Change (Paperback)

This is an amazing book. I can't put it down! It is informative, enlightening and filled with many useful counseling techniques for families and children. Based on the findings detailing qualities in the most resilent children from the most dysfunctional backgrounds the author pulls together theory and practice turning the therapeutic focus on the strenghts rather than the deficiets of the client. The author does not sugar coat it, the pitfalls of coming from one perspective only is reviewed as well! The author also makes references to other theories and techniques and how they can be used from a brief solution focused stance. This book is powerful in proposing a method and format for empowering the client, the child, the family..... It focuses on the positive side of the person, not the problem. One quite powerful strategy is reviewed in which the problem is externalized and therefore can be dealt with by all parties in a collective approach. This book is really delightful and positive. I would give it my highest recommendation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Detailed, December 20, 2008

By 

bbp, AT (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solution-Focused Therapy with Children: Harnessing Family Strengths for Systemic Change (Paperback)

Solution-Focused Therapy with Children is well-written and easy to read. Selekman takes the reader through a detailed explanation of SFT step by step in an easy to understand way. He also speaks about incorporating aspects of other theories into SFT, which I really appreciate. The case studies presented are not only the successful ones, but he tells of the cases that didn't follow through with therapy and what he could have done differently to make sessions more successful. It's a great book for anyone working with children. Thank you Matthew!