Meditation is an effective, life-long practice that can help people with Asperger Syndrome to steer their own life course and improve wellbeing. This useful guide provides Aspies with a clear explanation of how to reap the benefits of welcoming meditation practices into their lives. In addition to its great value as a relaxation technique, meditation can positively influence emotions, curb anxiety and meltdowns, and promote self-esteem and self-awareness. This book discusses why common Aspie character traits such as dedication and introversion make people with Asperger Syndrome particularly well suited to practicing meditation and offers guidance on choosing the right type of meditation to suit each individual's needs. With useful advice on how to begin, where to meditate, what to wear, and much more, the book shows that meditation can be a powerful everyday technique for personal development and self-discovery.
Music therapy can be a profound physical, emotional and spiritual support at the end of life. This book looks at a wide variety of cases, explaining how music therapy can be used effectively. It highlights particular components of working with this group, such as creating a therapeutic relationship, helping patients to reach final goals, working within cultural contexts and dealing with difficult emotions, all within the parameters of the musical experience. It also explores the unique needs of people with disabilities or mental illness, and how to support the families of the dying. Therapeutic and philosophical insights related to the dying process are included. This will be a supportive and insightful guide for anyone working with people who are at the end of life, especially music therapists and other complementary therapists, caregivers, hospice workers and medical professionals.
Using a contemporary synthesis of Jungian and Post-Jungian imaginal perspectives, animate ecological phenomenology, somatics and recent scholarship in dance movement and progressive spiritualities, this unique book discusses how the promotion of a fluid relationship between imagination and movement can bring the mover back into relationship with soul and spirit. This connection with soul and spirit is considered as an essential and powerful resource in mental health. The book provides a rich digest of theory and produces a clear framework for the application of transpersonal theories to Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) practice, writing and research, illustrating the use and value of transpersonal perspectives through detailed case studies. Providing spiritual, soulful and mythological perspectives on DMP rooted in theory and practice, this book will be essential reading for dance movement psychotherapists, drama psychotherapists, expressive arts therapists, and dance movement psychotherapy students, drama psychotherapy students and arts therapy students.
Working with Sex Offenders in Prisons and through Release to the Community is the first study of its kind to look at a wide range of issues and problems relating to the management of sexual offenders in prisons and their reintegration into the community. Spencer's analysis of the delivery of prison-based offence-specific programmes, both within the broader context of criminal justice systems and the community provides valuable insight into the relationship between prisons and other agencies dealing with sex offenders. Spencer makes a strong case for implementing treatment for sexual offenders within prisons, as well as the need for support and supervision in the community once released. His multi-agency approach is an innovative and cohesive strategy for effective interventions, and highlights major issues which need to be addressed so that programmes stand a chance of succeeding in a penal setting. The issues involved in the setting up of programmes, the creation of the right environment, and the support and training of staff, are universally applicable; as are discussions of risk assessment, the links between victims and offenders, sex offenders in special hospitals, women as sex abusers, the use of pornography and sexual offender notification. This book is essential reading, not only for specialists in the field, but also for students and professionals working in related areas.
Music's ability to influence emotions and moods is universally acknowledged, and music therapists have long known that stimulating the brain through the auditory system is a key to obtaining remarkable responses. Music therapy is a particularly effective tool when working with children with autism spectrum conditions, because music communicates with these children on a level where mere words cannot go. Written in a way that is both informative for the professional and accessible for parents, this book furthers the already strong case for the use of music therapy as a resource to encourage behavioural changes for the better in children with autism spectrum conditions. Placing particular emphasis upon sensory integration, the author discusses contributing factors to the behaviour of people on the autism spectrum, and, through the use of case studies, presents the latest approaches in music therapy that are enabling children with autism spectrum conditions to better cope with sensory integration.
At the heart of Richard Bryant-Jefferies' work with problem drinkers is his belief in the power and effectiveness of the person-centred approach to counselling. He suggests that many alcohol problems develop out of, or are connected with, relationship difficulties. He highlights the importance of building a therapeutic relationship with the person, and of engaging with their individuality to encourage sustainable lifestyle change underpinned by personal growth. This practical book shows how such client-focused counselling can support problem drinkers who are seeking to develop and sustain a less alcohol-centred way of life. Demonstrating how the client-counsellor relationship can be harnessed to empower the individual to help themselves, Richard * describes the health risks and effects on family life of alcohol dependency * considers the differences between young and old problem drinkers * analyses the support services available to those seeking change * suggests ways of coping with relapse. Supported by contributions from clients who have undergone counselling for alcohol reliance, this is a comprehensive and positive guide for people working with those who have a problematic relationship with alcohol.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is increasingly recognised as a highly effective way of helping children with autistic spectrum disorders. It is based on a variety of methods and techniques which can be used to promote skills for daily living and change difficult behavior. In Raising a Child with Autism, Shira Richman explains how parents can adapt the practical techniques used in ABA for use at home, providing tips and guidelines to increase play skills, improve communication and sibling interaction and increase independence. The book also covers toilet-training, food selectivity, self-dressing and community outings, and includes an overview of the theory behind ABA as well as a list of resources for further reading. It offers parents a practical and effective way to help autistic children interact more successfully with family, friends and at school.
People with dementia have often played a passive role in the investigation of their condition. The contributors to this book look at ways of redressing the balance and involving them in the research process. They describe the skills that researchers and care staff need, and the methods they can use, when seeking to draw out and validate the views of people with dementia successfully, and discuss the ways in which such views can be included in debates about dementia methodology and policy. The book focuses on a number of projects which have taken different approaches to working with people with dementia in research, including a chapter examining the difficult process of interviewing people with dementia whose first language is not English and a chapter describing a project which encourages people with dementia to participate in the analysis of the research findings. This varied and innovative book will help those in the fields of health and social policy, dementia research and dementia care to hear the voices of people with dementia more clearly, and to include their opinions more effectively in the provision of services.
Offering practical advice for arts therapists and health care professionals, this book emphasizes the importance of putting the individual before the illness to provide holistic, person-centred support for people with dementia. The contributors are all practising healing arts therapists who show how music, dance and the visual arts can be used in partnership with person-centred care to promote improved memory, reduced anxiety, increased self-esteem, better communication and successful group interaction. They use case studies to demonstrate the ways in which therapists can encourage engagement of those with dementia with sound, touch, movement and visual forms, making this a positive and practical book for all those working to provide person-centred dementia
Arguing that the profession of art therapy has its roots in the studio environment, Catherine Moon proposes that it is now time to reclaim these roots, and make art once again central to art therapy. She suggests that there has been a tendency for art therapy not merely to interact with and be enriched by other perspectives – psychological, social, anthropological and transpersonal – but to be subsumed by them. For this reason she makes a clear distinction between using art in one's practice of therapy, and working from an art-based model. This book presents a model of art therapy where the products and processes of art constitute the core of the model, rather than serving as the impetus for adaptations of other theories of counselling or therapy. It addresses how an arts-based approach can inform the therapist in all aspects of practice, from the conception of the work and the attempt to understand client needs to interacting with clients and communicating with others about the profession of art therapy. Integrated into the book are stories about the work of art therapists, art therapy students and those who seek help in art therapy, presenting the theory behind studio art therapy and bringing it to life. Moon believes that the arts have something unique to offer to the therapeutic process which distinguish the arts therapies from other therapeutic professions. This book is a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the possibilities inherent in the therapeutic use of the arts.