Parents as Healers: Bringing the Caregiver into the Healing Process Through Play and Home-Based Strategies shows clinicians how effectively collaborate with parents, children, and adolescents to create dynamic interventions for a wide range of presenting problems.
Research has shown that a child’s caregiver can be the most important catalyst for change in the therapeutic process. Strategies described will include cognitive behavioral, multi-sensory, creative arts, directive play therapy and home-based approaches, colorfully illustrated through a myriad of easy to read case examples, vignettes, and stories.
The beginning chapter describes the efficacy of parent-led therapies such as Filial Therapy, Theraplay, Parent Management Training, and others which supports the rationale for a “Parents as Healers” approach. This approach views the caregiver as having the primary role in the therapeutic treatment plan for their child or adolescent. Subsequent chapters describe how to begin using this approach. They also describe how to sensitively incorporate the caregiver in treatment sessions should the therapist wish to switch to this approach from an individually oriented focus. Other beginning stage topics discussed include collaborative assessments, playful goal setting, and when to use evidence-based interventions, adapted ones, or integrated approaches.
Later in the book, separate chapters on how to apply this approach to children/adolescents with disruptive disorders, anxiety, trauma, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and social skills deficits will be discussed. The final chapter explores what to do when things are not working despite the therapist’s and caregiver’s best intentions.
The author used colorful examples and descriptions to illustrate ideas. She also provided the reader with a multitude of techniques to begin using right away making this an enjoyable and practical read for clinicians.
Ingram, Createspace