A Comprehensive Guide to Child Psychotherapy and Counseling

A Comprehensive Guide to Child Psychotherapy and Counseling

Christiane Brems, an experienced clinician, supervisor, and educator, presents a metatheoretical yet practical guide to working with children ages 3 to 12 years. She draws heavily on developmental, interpersonal, family systems, and self-psychological schools of thought and integrates the core components of all of these approaches in a clear and concise manner. She stresses the need for intensive assessment to precede conceptualization and treatment planning so that treatment techniques are dictated by the needs of each child and family. Brems has contoured the third edition to meet the practical needs and expectations of students and practitioners. Divided among four sections, the chapters follow the logical development of clinicians, mirroring the natural flow of work with children—from the practitioner’s self-exploration, to learning about special aspects of children (such as diversity and development), to awareness about the special needs and demands of children as related to environmental, legal, and ethical issues. Brems prepares clinicians to discover their own personal traits that may facilitate or hinder their work with children. She walks child therapists and counselors through the initial stages of intake, assessment, and conceptualization. The material on assessment instruments is thoroughly updated; discussions refer to the latest versions of instruments, and if new instruments emerged that meet one of the purposes deemed essential to child treatment, they are included. The text contains case examples, each illustrating a specific therapeutic technique.