2nd Edition
Narrative Therapies with Children and Their Families A Practitioner's Guide to Concepts and Approaches
Narrative Therapies with Children and their Families introduces and develops the principles of narrative approaches to systemic therapeutic work, and shows how they can provide a powerful framework for engaging troubled children and their families. Written by eminent and leading clinicians, known nationally and internationally for their research and theory development in the field of child and family mental health, the book covers a broad range of difficult and sensitive topics, including trauma, abuse and youth offending. It illustrates the wide application of these principles in the context of the particular issues and challenges presented when working with children and families.
Since publication of the first edition, the importance of narrative therapy has continued to grow, and this new edition provides an updated and revised overview of the field, along with three new chapters to keep apace with developments in child mental health trauma work. This book remains a key text in the field of systemic narrative training and practice.
With clinical examples throughout, this practical book will be welcomed by family and systemic therapists and other professionals in the field of child, adolescent and family mental health.
Foreword
Dr Charlotte Burck
PART I
- Emilia Dowling and Arlene Vetere: Narrative Concepts and Therapeutic Challenges
- Margaret Rustin and Michael Rustin: Narratives and phantasies
- David Campbell and Judith Trowell: Narrative Perspectives on Childhood Depression with a foreword from the editors
- Gerrilyn Smith: Children’s Narratives of Trauma Experiences
- Arlene Vetere and Jan Cooper: Children who Witness Violence at Home
- Jim Wilson: Engaging Children and Young People – A theatre of possibilities
- Sebastian Kraemer: Narratives of Fathers and Sons – "There is no such thing as a father"
- Sara Barratt and Rita Harris: The Changing Context of Permanency: Unifying stories in the context of divided loyalties
- Myrna Gower and Emilia Dowling: Second Phase Parenting: Narratives of parenting when children become adults
- Kirsten Blow and Gwyn Daniel: Whose Story Is It Anyway? Narratives of children involved in contact disputes with a foreword by Gwyn Daniel and tribute to Kirsten Blow
- Gill Gorell Barnes: Narratives of attachment and processes of alienation in post-divorce parenting disputes
- Rudi Dallos: Narratives of Young Offenders
- Sue Rendall: Narratives of School Exclusion
- Marc Van Roosmalen: Towards a conceptual model of early intervention with schools and other frontline partner agencies: a systems relations approach
- Paul Tibbles: Crossing frontiers: Narrative approaches with refugee children and young people
- Arlene Healey: Working with traumatised families in a context of civil conflict: shared narratives
- Alan Carr: Narratives of Hope
PART II Narratives of Childhood
PART III Narratives of Working with Families
PART IV Narratives in Special Contexts
Biography
Arlene Vetere is Professor of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway, and Affiliate Professor, Department of Family Studies, University of Malta. She was formerly Professor of Clinical Psychology at Surrey University.
Emilia Dowling is a chartered clinical psychologist and systemic family psychotherapist. Dowling worked at the Tavistock Clinic for many years, where she was head of Child Psychology and was involved in post graduate training, practice and research. She currently works in private practice, is a member of the Institute of Family Therapy and has been published widely.
In the ten plus years since the first edition of this book, much has changed in the landscape of narrative practice in working with children. Fortunately for us, the book has more than kept pace with these changes. The second edition integrates the most recent research and practise ideas that have emerged over the decade as well as introducing us to emergent issues. The new chapters include: "working in early intervention settings such as school and other frontline agencies"; "children who have become refugees"; and "families living in a context of civil conflict". These new chapters caught my attention and I believe they add a great deal our work with children and families. - D. Russell Crane, PhD
"Narrative Therapies with children and their families (2ndedition) is an essential read for anyone working with children and families. Securely rooted in the rich traditions of family therapy, narrative psychology and psychoanalysis, this book is an essential resource for students and practitioners in the mental health field, as well as in school systems.
Contributors – leading experts from different backgrounds- address important issues like attachment, depression, trauma and violence, focusing on the inspiration and insights a narrative based approach can offer. The focus is not only on giving the child a voice so that he/she can tell his/her story in words, in play, in drawings; but also on listening to the child’s voice and integrating it in the story of the parents, the family, the school, the therapy.
This is an important book that can serve as a clinical guide to therapy and counselling with children and their families. It is likely to become a classic in the field." - Peter Rober, Context UPC KU Leuven, Belgium
"This book is a treasure trove of ideas for therapeutic practice with children and their families. It shows the breadth and strength of narrative as a major cohering metaphor in contemporary family therapy. Different chapters cross the borders of systemic psychotherapy, psychoanalytic thinking, attachment theory and resilience research, as senior practitioners apply narrative ideas to particular family issues and contexts of practice. The book makes for an enriching read for experienced therapists, and charts creative practice possibilities for training practitioners in family therapy, psychology, social work, psychiatry and child psychotherapy." - Carmel Flaskas, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, UNSW Australia.
