Search results for ""author terry s trepper""

View the inner workings of healthy stepfamilies through the stories of twenty families as they discuss how their households operate. This enlightening book takes a deeper look at what adults and children in stepfamilies say about such issues as discipline, money, family roles and relationships with ex-spouses, and the development of new traditions and rituals. Incorporating actual words of family members, Developing Healthy Stepfamilies shows many ways in which stepfamilies function well through adapting new and different “rules” to fit their circumstances. The book concentrates on positive rather than negative aspects of stepfamily life to help dim the image of stepfamilies as problematic and also to instill hope in would-be stepfamilies by normalizing their differences from biologically based families. Written with the intention of disseminating information and increasing understanding about stepfamily functioning, this book is useful for stepfamilies, their friends and relatives, and professionals such as teachers, clergy, physicians, and counselors. Developing Healthy Stepfamilies draws a colorful picture of the creativity and flexibility such families have brought to their lives and relationships. Emphasizing what works in stepfamilies instead of what does not, the book illustrates the process of integrating a stepfamily, the value of humor and patience, and the richness that can unfold for all members of the family. The author, a family therapist and educator, has drawn together information direct from stepfamily members themselves, providing readers with first-hand knowledge of the daily workings of this fast growing family form. A showcase of stepfamilies that are functioning well, Developing Healthy Stepfamilies helps show would-be stepfamilies that “it can be done.” This is not a book of instructions; it illuminates the many ways in which stepfamilies can and do function. Some of the topics covered in the book include: definitions of a stepfamily a historical review demographics suggestions for new stepfamilies from established ones genograms of the families participating in the study As a group, stepfamilies are different from biologically based families in form and function. These differences are important for the families, and for those working with them, to recognize and accept as normal. Although intended to be an informative text for professionals and students in fields such as counseling and social work, this book also serves as a source of hope and encouragement for stepfamilies and prospective stepfamilies themselves.

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Use goal-oriented techniques for successful family therapy with substance abusers!Family therapy is an essential core competency for substance-abuse counselors, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Family Solutions for Substance Abuse: Clinical and Counseling Approaches delivers the information and techniques you need to effectively treat addicts and their families. By understanding and changing the dynamics of the family system, you will be better able to guide your clients to adopt strategies and behaviors that sustain recovery and maintain healthy relationships.Family Solutions for Substance Abuse provides clear models of diagnosis and intervention for families, whether that means couples, teenagers and their parents, or Mom, Dad, and the kids. The theoretical background on family systems will help you understand the context of the client's addiction and the way it affects and is affected by other family members. Numerous case studies and figures bring the expert advice and theory into the practical realm so you can choose the best strategies for helping the shattered family heal.Family Solutions for Substance Abuse will teach you useful therapeutic skills and strategies, including: understanding interdependence joining with different family members negotiating goals and contracts dealing with family violence assessing motivation handling relapses ending treatment Treating addictions is notoriously difficult for even the most skilled therapist working with the most motivated client. Using the techniques in Family Solutions for Substance Abuse offers you and your clients a better chance at success, because addicts whose families share their treatment are much more likely to stay in counseling and remain clean and sober.

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Psychotherapy Abbreviation is a field-tested approach designed to train both experienced and student mental health professionals to do brief therapy that is effective and highly satisfactory to clients. This book is unique in that it is the only text that is compatible with almost all approaches to treatment, making it suitable as a primer of brief therapy usable by virtually all psychotherapists. Most other brief therapy books are affiliated with a specific theory of psychopathology, making each limited to those who share the author's theoretical orientation.Pekarik wrote this text based on his own brief therapy training manual because he could not find a text suitable for the wide range of psychotherapy approaches represented by the therapists whom he trains in his research, teaching, and consulting work. By offering a unique approach derived from the “active ingredients” common to all forms of brief therapy and the literature on client treatment preferences, Psychotherapy Abbreviation simplifies the abbreviation process and makes it accessible to all therapists. Pekarik's strategies have been field-tested; he has used them to train hundreds of therapists who have demonstrated success with clients--increased client satisfaction, improved treatment effectiveness, and lowered dropout rates. These same therapists also doubled the proportion of cases they treated with brief therapy.This “how to do it” text is extremely practical. It assumes that the reader already has a theory and set of therapy techniques, true of even most graduate students. The emphasis is then placed on the treatment abbreviation process itself. Because of this highly focused approach, the text will, like the technique it describes, be concise and brief. By avoiding association with any particular school of therapy, Pekarik's approach is usable by all schools of therapy. Therapists and future therapists now in graduate school will benefit from Psychotherapy Abbreviation as it explores these topics: rationale for the abbreviation of psychotherapy practical and ethical issues to consider in client selection a conceptual model for treatment abbreviation rapid assessment and case conceptualization establishing a brief therapy focus goal establishment and negotiation adapting standard psychotherapy techniques to the brief format practice issues in brief therapy Psychotherapy Abbreviation is two-part. Part one is an orientation to this model of brief therapy in which Pekarik emphasizes a research-based rationale for doing brief therapy; presents a general theory of why brief treatments work; and provides guidelines for the identification of appropriate clients for brief therapy.The second part of the text is devoted to technical skills training. It begins with an overview of the techniques common to most schools of brief therapy and describes a “universal model” of brief therapy. Readers are then taken step-by-step through a description of the four most important abbreviation techniques, presented in the typical order of use with clients. To encourage readers to consistently apply the recommended techniques, Pekarik includes one particular training case which he describes in detail and uses it in all of the technical skills chapters in special “Case Application” sections of these chapters. Before describing the detailed applications, Pekarik prompts readers to consider how they would apply the abbreviating technique presented in that chapter to the case. With individual exercises, he gives special attention to how readers can adapt their personal therapy styles and theoretical orientations to brief therapy. As a result, readers develop both a rationale and abbreviation strategy compatible with their values and practical needs as therapists. The exercises are found in each chapter in special “exercise

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This comprehensive book introduces and integrates adolescent developmental themes and family system theory into a coherent assessment and intervention model. Author Mark Worden views the adolescent as active in shaping the family interactions as much as the family is influential in shaping the adolescent’s behavior. He takes a pragmatic approach to therapy, emphasizing what best explains the clinical phenomena and what works best for change. To this end, a heavy emphasis is placed on the process of evaluation and intervention of adolescents and their families with typical therapeutic dilemmas. This practical book is organized to take the reader through the first evaluation interview, through the planning of intervention strategies, and through the beginning, middle, and termination phases of treatment. Case examples bring Adolescents and Their Families to life, highlighting conceptual discussions. Topics discussed in this important book range from the integration of adolescent and family psychology, to the employment of a contextual-dialectic (“goodness-of-fit”) paradigm to evaluate adolescent-family interface, to matching the intervention with the family. A step-by-step discussion of the first interview and diverse intervention strategies are discussed, as are frequent clinical syndromes--acting-out, underachievement, eating disorders, divorce/single parenthood, depression, and suicide. Graduate students and clinicians will find this appealing book an ideal resource, as will experienced therapists beginning to work with adolescents and families. The book will also serve as an excellent primary or ancillary text for graduate courses in psychotherapy with adolescents and in family therapy courses. High school guidance counselors, social workers, and psychologists will also find many valuable applications in this timely book.

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This handbook for professionals presents an array of techniques for teaching and reinforcing social skills for successful relationships. It contains over 70 new structured exercises that can be used to help individuals, dyads, families, and groups become happier in their relationships. The exercises come complete with step-by-step instructions for easy use. Structured Exercises for Promoting Family and Group Strengths is a goldmine of resources for group leaders and counselors. You can use it in planning and conducting workshops and retreats or for working with individuals or families in counseling. The book saves you time and energy as each exercise is accompanied by suggestions for procedures, variations, and trainer's notes. The exercises, which have all been field tested with a variety of audiences, are grouped into six broad categories: Icebreakers introduce people to the subject of group dynamics and to each other in a workshop setting. Assessors help people assess relationships and gain insight for constructive change. Dyad/couple discussion starters facilitate communication and open dialogue for dyads who find themselves in dysfunctional situations. Group/family discussion starters strengthen communication within groups or families and increase understanding of how the group functions. Enhancers aid in the development of positive regard of self and others. Energizers perk up the group or family when fatigue occurs. The exercises provide an experiential approach to learning in which each participant is actively and creatively involved. Readers will find that these relationship-enhancing exercises offer a catalyst for dramatic change in the lives of individuals, dyads, families, and groups. Structured Exercises for Promoting Family and Group Strengths is a valuable sourcebook of ideas for use by persons in the helping professions, including counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers, chaplains, corrections officers, and educators.

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Marriage and Family Therapy: A Sociocognitive Approach is a comprehensive and clearly written introduction to sociocognitive therapy. It is rich with transcripts and case examples, culled from the authors’more than thirty-five years of practice, providing you with valuable background information on helping difficult-to-reach and hard-to-help populations. In practical language, this volume takes you step-by-step through methods of assessment and change that are useful in traditional and nontraditional families and couples. With clear language and taxonomy for family troubles and their resolution, Marriage and Family Therapy provides conceptual handles to guide you in learning intervention strategies, enabling you to work effectively with, most notably, lower working-class and poor inner-city, African-American families. A highlight of the book is the detailed look at terminal and instrumental interaction hypotheses and how they can be applied in actual therapy situations. With Marriage and Family Therapy as a guide, you will develop multiple skills and methods that equip you to better handle the challenging task of helping troubled families and couples.The first two chapters present the theoretical framework of the sociocognitive approach. In the third chapter, the assessment and change concepts central to Dr. Hurvitz's approach are introduced. The last four chapters show how these humanist principles are applied through the phases of opening, change-producing, and termination in therapy, creating an invaluable book for marriage and family therapists, social workers, psychologists, and educators.

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