ABSTRACT

The Therapist’s Notebook for Families, Second Edition, provides 72 solution-oriented activities for an array of challenging problems faced by mental health professionals when working with clients. The Therapist's Notebook offers clear, practical, easy-to-use exercises to help therapists work effectively and creatively with parents, adolescents, children, and families. Its solution-focused perspective provides a foundation based on collaboration, the utilization of client strengths, and the creation of possibilities to facilitate present and future change. The book is arranged in five parts, with 15 fully revised and 23 brand-new exercises.

part I|53 pages

The Family as a Resource

chapter 1|3 pages

The Therapist's Notebook

Preparing for Working With Families

chapter 2|5 pages

The Pyramid

Identifying Levels of Need

chapter 3|4 pages

Reputation Matters

Examining the Culture of Therapy

chapter 4|3 pages

Collaboration Keys

Strengthening the Alliance

chapter 5|4 pages

Preferences

Eliciting Clients' Ideas About Therapy

chapter 6|3 pages

Who Are You?

Qualities Within

chapter 7|3 pages

Recollections

Finding What We Do Well

chapter 8|4 pages

Factors

Influences on Problems and Solutions

chapter 9|4 pages

Taking Stock

Creating a Family Inventory of Resources

chapter 10|3 pages

More Than

Challenging Unhelpful Influences

chapter 11|5 pages

More like Whom?

Speculating About My Parents

chapter 12|4 pages

Significant

People Who Know or Have Known Me

chapter 13|3 pages

Inside Job

Exploring Family Solutions

chapter 14|3 pages

Inherited or Learned or Both?

part II|35 pages

Getting Clear on Change

chapter 15|3 pages

Cycling Through

chapter 16|3 pages

The Language of Possibility

chapter 17|3 pages

Invitations to Accountability

Separating Feeling and Doing

chapter 18|3 pages

Translations

Using Action-Talk

chapter 19|2 pages

Solution—Talk

chapter 20|3 pages

Determining Goals

What Needs to Change?

chapter 21|2 pages

Indications

Identifying Goal-Related Improvement

chapter 22|2 pages

The Crystal Ball

chapter 23|2 pages

The Time Machine

chapter 24|3 pages

Movement

Signs of Progress

chapter 25|4 pages

Scaling

Taking the Temperature of Change

chapter 26|3 pages

Exploring Theories of Change

part III|59 pages

Changing Views and Perspectives

chapter 27|3 pages

Future-Talk

Acknowledgment and a Vision for the Future

chapter 28|4 pages

Reviving the Soul

Spiritual Energy and Resources

chapter 29|3 pages

Did You See That?

Acknowledging Efforts

chapter 30|4 pages

Family Views

Appreciating Different Perspectives

chapter 31|2 pages

Teaching Your Children

chapter 32|2 pages

Requests for Change

chapter 33|3 pages

Catch 'Em Doing Well

chapter 34|3 pages

Seize the Moments

Identifying Exceptions

chapter 35|3 pages

Gaining the Upper Hand

Searching for Counterevidence

chapter 36|3 pages

How Does That Help You?

Reevaluating Viewpoints

chapter 37|4 pages

What Would Einstein Say?

Considering Alternative Views

chapter 38|3 pages

The World as a Consultant

Learning From Experienced Others

chapter 39|3 pages

Scene It

Movies as Life

chapter 40|4 pages

Separating From Problems

chapter 41|4 pages

The Big Picture

chapter 42|4 pages

What's My Mission?

Finding a Meaning

chapter 43|5 pages

Before Tomorrow

Finding a Vision for the Future

part IV|40 pages

Changing Actions and Interactions

chapter 44|3 pages

Our Lives as Patterns

chapter 45|3 pages

Exception-Seeking

Changing Patterns

chapter 46|3 pages

Stay With It

Going Along With the Pattern

chapter 47|2 pages

Try-Outs

Exploring the Benefits of Turning Patterns On and Off

chapter 48|3 pages

Do Something Different

Experimenting With Pattern Interruptions

chapter 49|3 pages

United We Stand

Creating Caregiver Agreement

chapter 50|3 pages

Who's Doing What?

Sharing Household Responsibilities

chapter 51|2 pages

Script It Out

chapter 52|3 pages

Trouble With the Curve

Doing the Unexpected

chapter 53|2 pages

Here, There, Not Everywhere

Change Some Aspect of Context

chapter 55|3 pages

Remember When

Utilizing Past Solutions and Successes

chapter 56|2 pages

Nothing's Forever; It Just Seems That Way

Problem Wind-Downs and Endings

chapter 57|3 pages

What a Difference a Day Makes

Charting Solutions

part V|48 pages

Keeping the Ball Rolling

chapter 58|3 pages

Three Forward, Two Back

Managing Setbacks and Challenges

chapter 59|3 pages

Putting the Brakes On

Keeping Things From Getting Worse

chapter 60|3 pages

What Worked?

Evaluating and Employing Successes

chapter 62|4 pages

Traditions

Consistency, Continuity, and Connection

chapter 63|3 pages

The Real World

Keeping an Eye on Between-Session Change

chapter 64|3 pages

Where's the Evidence?

Identifying the Facts of Change

chapter 65|4 pages

Bring It to Light

Identifying and Amplifying Change

chapter 66|4 pages

It Really Is You!

chapter 67|2 pages

Are We There Yet?

Evaluating the Significance of Change

chapter 68|3 pages

Self-Examination

Making the Most of Differences

chapter 69|2 pages

The Scrapbook of Life

chapter 70|4 pages

Certifiable

chapter 71|3 pages

Pursuing the Future

chapter 72|3 pages

Simply Said

The Gift of Gratitude