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This book chronicles the lessons learned when a substance abuse counseling program switches its theoretical orientation from problem-focused to solution-focused. The book details the technical aspects of the changeover (theory, techniques, interventions, politics, and team design) as well as the personal struggles the team endured and the successes they enjoyed. It demonstrates how solution-focused therapy can be applied to both clinical and administrative work while addressing questions and concerns, providing general information and help in understanding the subtleties and idiosyncrasies of the treatment. It provides a thorough understanding of solution-focused therapy through the use of case studies, interviews with therapists, sample forms, and tables. The book is aimed at professionals interested in implementing solution-focused therapy into individual, group, or agency settings, including child protection agencies, community mental health clinics, private practices, sexual abuse programs, substance abuse treatment, family based services, and academics working in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, and general counseling. (Contains 113 references.) (GCP)

This book examines brief therapy in a developmental context with young adults whose clinical problems often relate to or are caused by significant developmental impasses. The purpose in presenting this book is to provide case studies to illustrate a variety of brief therapy approaches with young adults who are college students between the ages of 17 and 25. Diverse cases have been selected including men and women, different races and ethnicities, and different sexual orientations. The authors selected include college counselors and psychologists who represent a wide variety of theoretical approaches and work regularly with young people. Authors were asked to include basic information on their backgrounds and current positions as well as their counseling approach and any other information they felt was relevant to their particular case. They were also asked to include the following in the case discussion: description of client; presenting problem; social/cultural history/environmental context; assessment/diagnosis; counseling goals; treatment plan; counseling process; and outcome/termination of counseling. Chapter one summarizes developmental theory for the age group with a discussion of some of the brief therapy approaches in use today. Following are the sixteen case studies. The final section is a summary and commentary on the cases and approaches that have been presented. (GCP)

The underlying concept of this publication is that homework, which is merely a specific type of therapy technique, can be helpful to counselors and educators. It contains ideas from psychiatrists; psychologists; counselors; social workers; and family therapists who use homework techniques to enhance therapy with adults, children, and adolescents; in group, individual, or family counseling. Part 1 presents recommendations on how to assign homework to clients. Part 2 points to the pitfalls of ascribing to one set of techniques in therapy and suggests that the best results occur when general principles are applied to create unique ones for each person in therapy. Part 3 contains articles by 51 therapists concerning their therapy techniques. Their approaches represent: assertiveness; Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT); Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT); Gestalt Therapy; transactional analysis; marriage and family therapy; neurolinguistic programming, multicultural counseling; brief strategic solution-oriented therapy; a developmentalist perspective; and rational self-counseling. Part 4 discusses homework in counseling. Part 5 includes recommendations for implementing counseling and therapy homework assignments. Each chapter presents biographical information on the therapist, a list of their other works, and the population for whom their suggestions would be most helpful. References are included with individual chapters. (JDM)

This book is designed to help practitioners plan and conduct diverse therapeutic groups. It presents the framework to assist practitioners in understanding and judging how to respond to situations that arise during group sessions. This second edition works towards building stronger connections between theory and practice and considers short-term groups and efficacy in an era of managed care. The chapters in Part 1 deal with the therapeutic purposes in conducting groups; making use of the potential of a group; deciding who may benefit from a group; and presents theories pertinent to psychotherapeutic groups. Part 2 discusses decisions that need to be made in planning a group; provides examples of kinds of groups for different populations of people; and discusses responses to the pressure to be time-efficient. Part 3 is about thinking and taking action during the life of a group. It considers the internal thinking a therapist engages in during practice; the problems and opportunities that arise during sessions; the gains and errors made in groups; and theory's connection to practice. Throughout these chapters, case studies are used to enhance explanations. Part 4 concentrates on how therapists may continue to learn through examination of their own experience from experiences of others, and by conducting research. (Contains 6 figures and over 350 references.) (Author/JDM)

This publication reviews a variety of empirically supported approaches to dealing with alcohol and drug problems in adolescents. Its focus is to provide motivationally based brief interventions that can be delivered in a variety of contexts address key developmental considerations and draw on the latest knowledge about the processes of addictive behavior change. Information was obtained from a multidisciplinary group of experts to create this resource guide for anyone working with or studying adolescents-at-risk. Part 1 reviews current research on substance abuse in adolescents and young adults and outlines the basic principles of developmentally informed assessment and intervention. Emphasized are the benefits of working with adolescents on their own territory and reaching out to all who are engaged in health-risk behavior. Part 2 presents a range of specific interventions, including skills training for substance abuse prevention; integrative behavioral and family therapy; motivational interviewing; interventions for dually diagnosed youth; Internet-based education; and applications to HIV prevention. The chapters describe the goals and methods of these approaches, review available data on treatment efficacy, and offer case studies along with clinical interpretations. Part 3 discusses future directions for brief interventions for addictive behaviors. (Contains over 500 references.) (JDM)

This book provides a framework for understanding the dimensions (scope, taxonomy, philosophy) and dynamics (individual, familial, societal) of pedosexual behavior, particularly child sexual abuse. It focuses on the implementation of integrated intervention strategies for any professional facing these issues. It attempts to provide comprehensive yet understandable information to a range of counselors and mental health professionals who may not be a specialist in the area of childhood sexual abuse. This revised edition provides options for brief interventions. Brief interventions are responsive to the changing climate of today and may provoke some positive shifts away from specialized, structured treatment. Chapters include: (1) "Overview of the Problem"; (2) "Intervention Strategies with Victims of Abuse"; (3) "Intervention Strategies in the Treatment of Offenders"; (4) "Intervention Strategies in the Treatment of Family and Adult Survivors"; (5) "Case Studies"; and (6) "The Road Ahead." (Contains 185 references.) (JDM)

This book is designed for established counselors, pastors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, and mental health professionals; it can also be used as a text for counselor training programs or as a reference tool for beginning counselors. It offers a new strategy for helping professionals who are not comfortable fitting their philosophy of counseling to managed care organizations; who want to be able to save time while creating a hopeful atmosphere for their clients; and who are looking for more effective ways to encourage responsibility, raise self-esteem, and develop life-long abilities in their clients. Based on solution-focused brief therapy, the 4-P Solutioning process provides therapists with methods to end blaming, encourage responsibility, and empower clients to find and use solutions. Solutioning is not an all-encompassing theory that requires a radical change in philosophy, but a language that promotes growth, change, and flexibility. It encourages the practitioner to blend tried-and-true techniques with the solutioning attitude and supplementary interventions, allowing the efficiency necessary for managed care survival. The book provides therapists with the following: the language of the 4-Ps, taught by using easily accessible practice sheets; skill highlights which focus on preexisting skills that can be given a solutioning slant; solutioning applications that illustrate how particular interventions apply to common mental health issues; case studies that demonstrate actual uses of solutioning; intakes, treatment plans, progress notes and other tools along with specific adaptations for family, couple, and play therapy; and a complete solutioning group program including the curriculum for teaching the 4-P process with lessons and handouts. (Contains 82 references and an index.) (Author/MKA)

Children have not yet developed the coping mechanisms of adults, and it is difficult for them to verbally communicate their needs. Practitioners increasingly recognize the usefulness of nonverbal communication methods to help these children. This revised and updated casebook and text focuses on treatment of children who have experienced crises resulting from psychological, physical, or environmental events, such the violence of war or terrorist acts. This edition notes that managed care has emerged a controlling factor in the treatment planning for children. Counselors have learned to utilize short-term, intermittent, and group therapy to help children recover from their exposure to crisis. Although traditional one-on-one interventions continue to be appropriate for children who have experienced severe circumstances such as suicide in the family or multiple traumas, many children can benefit from briefer methods. The book presents case studies in a two-column format that gives readers content of therapy sessions, along with clinician's accompanying thoughts and rationale for intervention. Chapters include literature reviews, case summaries, assessment and treatment plans, and questions for discussion. It demonstrates a variety of play therapy methods such as art, story telling, group art activities, and games, and provides examples of the power of play as a means of symbolic communication. A reference section follows each chapter. (Contains a list of resources and an index.) (JDM)

This book explains how counselors can integrate the theories of solution focused and Adlerian counseling into a comprehensive developmental counseling curriculum. Following an introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 explains how support needs to be developed among the staff to implement a comprehensive school program. The comprehensive developmental counseling curriculum is described in Chapter 3. A conflict resolution focused program is presented in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, individual planning is explained as a way to guide the personal; social; educational; and career goals of students. Responsive services are described in Chapter 6 as a way to offer immediate response to students in crisis. Group counseling, another direct responsive services, is discussed in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 covers indirect solution focused Adlerian services such as consultation. Chapter 9 describes the supportive services that are needed to implement a comprehensive developmental counseling program. Following each chapter are examples of forms for assessment. (Contains 6 figures, 3 tables, and 87 references.) (JDM)

School counselors often face large caseloads of students and cannot spend hours of time addressing each student's problems using traditional approaches. With this in mind, step-by-step instructions on how to use solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC) with elementary and secondary students is provided here. School counselors can utilize this approach for typical student concerns in order to achieve rapid, observable change. School administrators and teachers will also benefit because each component of this approach can be used independently in a variety of situations. School psychologists, social workers, pastoral counselors, and drug counselors should find the case studies especially relevant. The book is intentionally short and theory is discussed briefly; implementation is the main thrust. The reader is led through the material, then practice exercises appear at the end of the first four chapters. Chapter 1 presents the background and rational for SFBC and its special relevance to school counseling. Chapter 2 discusses ways to prepare students for solution-based counseling and how to facilitate the initial goal-setting phase of the model. Chapter 3 describes how to teach students to recognize success and thus be encouraged. Chapter 4 provides a transcript of a student case; and chapter 5 covers the interventions counselors employ in second and subsequent interviews with students. Chapter 6 describes additional applications of the solution-focused approach. Contains an index. (RJM)

The intended audience for this handbook is teachers, administrators and school counselors who would like to approach school populations with a more positive, solution-focused approach. The ideas developed are based on the principles of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) and other competency-based models that address solutions rather than problems. Chapter 1 describes the major guidelines and philosophies of SFBT and adapts them to a school setting. Chapter 2 utilizes the power of language in making problems more solvable. Chapter 3 describes the basic process of helping students, teachers, and parents identify "exceptions" to the problems which intrude in their lives. The fourth chapter outlines an actual school program resulting from an application of SFBT to the school setting. Next, ideas and suggestions for recognizing and developing small group dynamics within the school setting are presented. Chapter 6 offers suggestions for dealing with students in difficult situations such as loss and death, divorce, suicidal ideation, depression, violence in school situations, physical abuse and sexual abuse. The seventh chapter gives suggestions for classroom guidance of children and adolescents. Chapter 8 helps those administrators and teachers within the school setting to set the stage for competence, beginning with discipline. Finally, chapter 9 seeks to offer ways of empowering the population of school staff members. An appendix contains cartoons, quotations, and ideas suitable for classroom bulletin boards, certificates for success, and note-writing examples for teachers, students, and parents. Contains 26 references. (TS)