Treating Troubled Children and Their Families

By Ellen F. Wachtel

Book Overview

Integrating systemic, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioral perspectives, this acclaimed book presents an innovative framework for therapeutic work. Ellen Wachtel shows how parents and children all too often get entangled in patterns that cause grief to both generations, and demonstrates how to help bring about change with a combination of family-focused and child-focused interventions. Vivid case examples illustrate creative ways to engage young children in family sessions and conduct complementary sessions with children and parents alone, using a variety of strengths-based, developmentally informed strategies. The paperback edition features a new preface in which the author reflects on the continuing evolution of her approach.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593850727
• ISBN13: 9781593850722
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Guilford Publications
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource

Ellen Wachtel provides excellent ideas for assessment and treatment of children. This book was a constant companion to me in the practice of children's therapy for many years. It is conceived very well and simple to understand.

Thoughtful and Practical Synergy of Three Approaches

Ellen Wachtel manages to make appealing the combination of three models in "Treating Troubled Children and Their Families." She demonstrates the use of psychodynamic theory, systemic models, and behavior analytic methods in approaching parents and children. Her style is clear, thoughtful, and enjoyable to read. She is careful to point out the limits and to warn the reader that she has in many cases oversimplified for illustrative purposes. Her position is clearly stated and she makes a convincing argument for this more eclectic approach. The book would be useful for both students and practitioners.