Termination Challenges In Child Psychotherapy

Ending therapy in an appropriate and meaningful way is especially important in work with children and adolescents, yet the topic is often overlooked in clinical training. From leading child clinicians, this much-needed book examines the termination process--both for brief and longer-term encounters--and offers practical guidance illustrated with vivid case material. Tools are provided for helping children and families understand termination and work through associated feelings of loss and grief. Challenges in creating positive endings to therapy with children who have experienced trauma and adversity are given particular attention. Several reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed from the companion website in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. The companion website also features nine full-color figures.

Termination of psychoanalysis or psychotherapy is centrally important both to the process of treatment and to the patient's experience of treatment. It is surprising, then, that there has heretofore been no comprehensive study of the subject. This book begins to bridge the gap in this area. It is the first volume devoted entirely to issues surrounding the ending of treatment in analytic and therapeutic work with children and adolescents. Organized into separate clinical and theoretical sections, framed by a preface and sectional introductions, and covering a wide range of psychopathology, this book explores the different ways in which children and adolescents grapple with the experience of separation at the conclusion of treatment. Of special note is the contributors' recognition that the parents of children ending treatment face their own termination experience in relinquishing the support of their child's therapist. The presentations are enriched, as well, by frank discussions of countertransference as it enters into the termination phase of treatment.

"Children are our future. We need to treat them with dignity and respect. In that spirit, Sophie Lovinger -- clinician, professor, and parent -- addresses the challenges of the child therapist who is committed to treating the patient, not the symptom. Dr. Lovinger describes the initial contact and the initial session and discusses intake, setting, play themes, and issues of differential emotional and cognitive development from birth through age 12. Then, as her psychodynamic perspective unfolds, she focuses on resistance, dreams, interpretation, transference, and countertransference -- the last so problematic in child therapy that there are few references to it in the literature. In keeping with her emphasis on connecting with the whole child, Dr. Lovinger seeks to engage the parents in the process of what she calls "at-home co-therapists." She makes a case for their informed participation to enhance and advance the therapy by establishing empathetic communications with their children and stretching the therapeutic milieu. Enriched with wonderful clinical material, this book sets a new standards. theoretical and practical, for the optimal treatment of children." -- book jacket.

Christiane Brems, in collaboration with new coauthor Christina Rasmussen, introduces prospective and practicing clinicians to theories and principles of applied clinical work with children ages three to twelve years. The authors take an integrated approach to understanding children and their families, using a biopsychosociocultural model for conceptualization and treatment planning. Their methods are practical and compassionate, as well as contextually grounded and individually tailored. Chapters follow the logical development of clinicians, mirroring the natural flow of work with children. Coverage ranges from the importance of a beginning practitioner’s introspection and of ethical and legal issues to a variety of intervention techniques and strategies and, finally, termination. Case studies showcase individualized and mindful treatment for each child with whom a clinician works. Outstanding Features of the Fourth Edition . . . · Essential attention to how clinicians’ self-awareness can lead to positive therapeutic relationships with children and their families. · Thorough discussions of the biopsychosociocultural model for conceptualization and treatment planning. · Emphasis on intensive assessment prior to treatment planning to address the needs of each child and family. · A compelling, practical exploration of mindfulness intervention with children. The authors’ methodology addresses the profound effects of the larger environment and culture on children. By adopting the authors’ integrated approach, clinicians are better able to understand important and complicated aspects of a child’s and family’s life. From there, compassionate, thoughtful, and relevant intervention ensues.

The topic of terminating therapy is not one that clinicians normally consider. However, the session limits placed on clinicians by managed care require that the end of therapy be built into the treatment plan from the onset. With a focus on the termination of psychotherapy, A Clinician’s Guide examines the pertinent additional training that will aid mental health professionals in providing the most financially sensible and clinically deep treatment for their clients. Specifically, the book provides information on how to identify and understand when and how to discontinue psychological treatment with clients who have achieved sub-par results, as well as with clients who have ulterior motives such as friendship or support. The volume examines how to identify the client’s motivations early in therapy in order to better plan the course of treatment and to effectively prepare for "unplanned" terminations. It supplies important additional training in its discussions on ethical dilemmas, financial and personal consequences, and troubleshooting when it comes to engaging in termination. Offering a comprehensive and practice-focused guide from distinguished contributors, the book covers a wide spectrum of therapy approaches, patient populations and termination strategies. The book provides an in-depth look at termination by discussing various patient models, types, backgrounds, and problems, noting that with clear goals and a set course of action, the therapist will be better equipped to design a treatment that will best serve the patient’s interest.

COUNSELING CHILDREN covers the most practical and up-to-date methods for developing effective approaches to counseling children. Donna Henderson and Charles Thompson's text is unparalleled in its translation of theory into practice. This easy-to-read guide includes useful strategies and case studies to provide students with a realistic look at the counseling field. To further prepare readers for their professional work, the ninth edition includes 2014 ACA ethical standards, best practice guidelines for typical and atypical children's problems, and fresh ideas that facilitate understanding of the world of the child. Expanded coverage of children who have special concerns and of family interventions provides readers with effective ways to deliver interventions across multiple settings. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

A successful termination phase is a critically important component of psychotherapy of any orientation. The authors synthesize and evaluate the clinical, theoretical, and empirical literature on termination. They then offer their own Termination Phase Model designed to help psychotherapists understand and address the full range of both patient and therapist responses that must be considered as therapy winds down and the patient prepares for life without treatment.

The first book of its kind to provide an in-depth approach to termination of therapy, Terminating Therapy guides you through the practical, ethical, legal, and emotional challenges of how and when to end therapy. Written for a wide range of practitioners at every level of experience, this book provides straightforward advice on ending therapy on a positive note.

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.

Psychologists have long been interested in the problems of children, but in the last 20 years this interest has increased dramatically. The in tensified focus on clinical child psychology reflects an increased belief that many adult problems have their origin in childhood and that early treatment is often more effective than treatment at later ages, but it also seems to reflect an increased feeling that children are inherently important in their own right. As a result of this shift in emphasis, the number of publications on this topic has multiplied to the extent that even full-time specialists have not been able to keep abreast of all new developments. Researchers in the more basic fields of child psychol ogy have a variety of annual publications and journals to integrate research in their areas, but there is a marked need for such an integra tive publication in the applied segment of child and developmental psychology. Advances in Clinical Child Psychology is a serial publication designed to bring together original summaries of the most important developments each year in the field. Each chapter is written by a key figure in an innovative area of research or practice or by an individual who is particularly well qualified to comment on a topic of major contemporary importance. Each author has followed the stan dard format in which his or her area of research was reviewed and the clinical implications of the studies were made explicit.