Positive Practice

This text is intended to be of use to newcomers in the field of family therapy and systemic consultation including professionals from a variety of disciplines. The book is a step-by-step guide to family therapy and is written as a treatment manual as well as a training resource. It describes in detail an approach to consulting 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 formation, methods for developing a therapeutic contract and goal setting, plans for conducting therapy and troubleshooting resistance, and ways of conducting therapy. This text includes diagrams and checklists, is almost jargon free and contains practical exercises at the end of each chapter, with the aim of providing a useful resource for any introductory family therapy course. Special issues are also covered, including 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.