This textbook uniquely highlights the particular complexities of working systemically with couples and families with children. It is designed to be student and practitioner oriented by drawing on real world examples of therapeutic encounters in mental health settings to illustrate how theory can inform practice.
Good communication is the cornerstone of good clinical practice and is foundational for building therapeutic alliance. Although therapists and counsellors are often highly skilled in their therapeutic modalities, this book offers additional practical suggestions about how families engage in social actions and positioning themselves and others in their talk. The book also takes wider micro and macro ecological systems within which systemic psychotherapists and counsellors work into account and consider the ways that these larger social influences are experienced within institutional discourses.
The book will be a valuable resource across a broad spectrum of professions and researchers, including counsellors, psychotherapists, family therapists, psychiatrists, nurses, play therapists, speech and language therapists, and mental health social workers.
Preface
PART ONE: THEORETICAL CONTEXT 1. Systems within systems: Families in
society2. Communicating with families 3. Forming and maintaining good
therapeutic relationships
PART TWO: ENGAGING CHILDREN 4. Managing interruptions5. Engaging children
through questions 6. Engaging children through creative techniques 7.
Childrens competence
PART THREE: ATTENDING TO THE DIFFERENT NEEDS OF FAMILY MEMBERS 8. Managing
sensitive conversations with children present 9. Avoiding shame and
blame 10. How to talk about risk 11. Using recordings for reflective
practice
Michelle OReilly is Associate Professor of Communication in Mental Health at the University of Leicester and a Research Consultant for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, UK. Michelle is also a Chartered Psychologist in Health. Nikki is a chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist with experience working with patients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. She runs Mtai Rongo, a trauma responsive training, supervision and psychology centre in New Zealand.
