Positive Practice (Psychology Revivals)

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1995 Positive Practice is for newcomers to the field of family therapy and systemic consultation including professionals from a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, child care and protection, occupational therapy, paediatrics and general medical practice. Positive Practice is a step-by-step approach to family therapy written both as a treatment manual and as a training resource. It describes in detail a unique approach to consulting to families with youngsters who have psychological or social problems. It covers the difficulties associated with planning the first consultation, strategies for family assessment and problem formulation, methods for developing a therapeutic contract and goal setting, plans for conducting therapy and troubleshooting resistance, and ways of concluding therapy. It includes many diagrams and checklists and is essentially jargon-free. Practical exercises are given at the end of each chapter, making it an ideal training resource for any introductory course. Special issues discussed include adjunctive individual sessions, convening network meetings, jointly managing statutory and therapeutic responsibilities, ethical decision making, clinical audit and professional development. An integrative formulation model provides a focus for both guiding assessment and planning therapy. The approach to practice described in this book offers clinicians a way to integrate new ideas from the burgeoning literature on family therapy, theory and research into their clinical work.