ABSTRACT

For the first time in one volume self-harm, substance abuse, eating-disordered behavior, gambling, and Internet and cyber sex abuse—five crippling, self-destructive behaviors—are given a common conceptual framework to help with therapeutic intervention. Matthew Selekman and Mark Beyebach, two internationally-recognized therapists, know first-hand that therapists see clients who have problems with several of these habits in varying contexts. They maintain an optimistic, positive, solution-focused approach while carefully addressing problems and risks. The difficulties of change, the risk of slips and relapses, and the ups-and-downs of therapeutic processes are widely acknowledged and addressed.
Readers will find useful, hands-on therapeutic strategies and techniques that they can use in both individual and conjoint sessions during couple, family, and one-on-one therapy. Detailed case examples provide windows to therapeutic processes and the complexities in these cases. Clinical interventions are put in a wider research context, while research is reviewed and used to extract key implications of empirical findings. This allows for a flexible and open therapeutic approach that therapists can use to integrate techniques and procedures from a variety of approaches and intervention programs.

chapter 1|30 pages

Self-Destructive Habits

A Collaborative Strengths-Based Brief Family Therapy Approach

chapter 3|22 pages

Major Therapeutic Experiments and Rituals

chapter 4|30 pages

Self-Harming Habits

chapter 5|32 pages

Eating-Distressed Habits

chapter 6|30 pages

Substance-Abusing Habits

chapter 7|30 pages

Problematic Gambling Habits

chapter 8|31 pages

Internet and Cyber-Sex Dependency Habits

chapter 11|7 pages

Self-Destructive Habits

Future Directions with Treatment, Training, and Research