New or experienced social workers who are developing their collaborative practice with service users and carers and with other professionals, will find this book to be an essential source of knowledge, skills and issues for reflection. The authors explain how practitioners in social care, health and related sectors can work more effectively together in line with current developments in policy and practice, offering a critical appraisal both of the benefits and the challenges. The authors explore definitions of collaborative work, describe policy and research and give examples from their experiences of interprofessional practice. They emphasize the importance of building genuine partnerships between professionals, and with service users and carers in planning and providing care, service development and research. Good practice in collaborative working is described with different groups, including older people, people with mental health needs, children and families and people with learning disabilities. Exploring the ways in which shared values and collaborative working practices can be brought together for effective interprofessional provision of user-focused services, this informative book is a must-read for social workers and other professionals involved with social care and health services.
Tackling the difficult issues facing those who work with traumatized and sometimes dangerous young people and their families, this new volume shows how professionals can bring about positive change and growth through the creation of «holding» and healing therapeutic environments. This collection of papers written by established and respected experts with extensive practice and research experience builds a powerful picture of the theory and practice of therapeutic community work with young people. A wide variety of therapeutic community approaches is considered alongside an analysis of the implications of this model for mainstream residential practice. Social work, health care and education professionals will find the text invaluable for its presentation of a well-founded analysis of their work with these most damaged and desperate children and young people.
Trauma suffered during childhood can affect not only a person's emotional and mental health, but also their physical health, even into adulthood. This unique book fills a gap in research in this area, providing personal and theoretical perspectives on trauma and recovery. The contributors tell powerful stories of traumatic childhood events, including bereavement, abuse and evacuation and separation from parents. They document their reactions to trauma whether through illness, disability, addiction, psychosomatic disorders, self-harming behaviours or dissociation. Each author also shows the pathway they have taken towards transforming their bodies to well-being. This will be a valuable resource for those who are dealing with the impact of childhood trauma in their own lives; their families and friends whose lives are also touched; workers in the field of trauma, especially medical practitioners who can sometimes feel helpless when faced with patients whose symptoms they cannot understand or heal; and counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists. This book will also be of value to researchers interested in narrative research methods.
Childhood and adult experiences of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are becoming increasingly well documented, yet the crucial formative teenage years have, so far, been neglected. Adolescence is a difficult time for any teenager, but when you have Asperger Syndrome this already emotionally complex time of life becomes all the more challenging. Reflecting the views of parents, professionals and those with AS themselves, this book tackles issues that are pertinent to all teenagers, such as sexuality, depression and friendship, as well as discussing topics like disclosure and therapeutic alternatives that are more specific to those with AS. This book aims to make the transition from child to adult as smooth as possible, and is an essential survival guide to adolescence.
When an individual or couple is considering a difficult choice such as IVF treatment or third party assisted conception, the moral and ethical basis for their decisions may often be informed by their particular faith traditions. Faith and Fertility is a comprehensive collection of essays by academics and faith leaders from around the world. The reader is introduced to the cultural and religious understanding of fertility as it is practised among diverse international faith traditions. Each chapter is written in an accessible and clear style, outlining each faith's history and its core beliefs and values, showing the influence these have on its moral and ethical perspective on the issues surrounding fertility. This book will be a welcome resource for anyone seeking information on the plethora of attitudes towards fertility that are at work in today's global and multi-cultural world.
Dying, Bereavement and the Healing Arts describes a range of successful programmes pioneered by artists, writers, nurses, musicians, therapists, social workers, and chaplains in palliative care settings. These range from simple painting and writing activities to organized communal activities like writing and performing a play. The arts are shown to offer a means to reflect on memories, hopes, fears and anxieties, and gently explore the emotional, spiritual, and psychological issues which can aid a fuller understanding of oneself and one's condition. The arts also serve as a way to communicate difficult and complex feelings to professionals or family members not possible in everyday conversation. Dying, Bereavement and the Healing Arts offers valuable insights and inspiration for any practitioner working in a palliative care setting.
Constipation, Withholding and Your Child is a positive, accessible guide to dealing with the common problems of stool withholding, soiling and wetting in young children. It gives insight into the perspectives of both children and parents, enabling a clear understanding of the issue. Using friendly and informal language, the book examines the different causes of toileting problems, including the arrival of siblings and difficulties at school, and provides practical techniques and strategies to help children overcome these problems. It emphasises the importance of diet and offers advice on how to make using the toilet less frightening, the benefits of keeping a stool diary chart, and what laxatives and medications to use in different circumstances. It provides tips on how to tackle inappropriate lavatorial behaviour sensitively and addresses the issues particular to children with special needs. This book is a reassuring, informative and non-patronising guide to help children overcome toileting problems. It is useful for parents and all professionals who work with children.
Fostered and adopted children can present major challenges resulting from unresolved attachment issues and early traumatic experiences. In this much-needed book, the contributors provide a variety of complementary perspectives on the needs of these children and their families, focusing on ways of integrating attachment theory and developmental psychology into effective practice. Examining multiple aspects of work with children who are unable to live with their birth families, the book includes contributions on the assessment, preparation and support needs of children and families, attachment and the neurobiological effects of trauma, effective management of contact with birth families and developmental challenges in school settings. The use of creative arts therapies, alongside developmental reparenting strategies as part of a long-term attachment therapy `package', are explored in some detail. A fictionalised family, used as a working example throughout Part 2, brings practical interventions to life: illustrating the Family Futures' inclusive approach, where adoptive and foster parents become pivotal members of the therapeutic team. In addition, contributions from real-life user families illustrate some of the challenges they face and demonstrate how the developmental attachment-based approach has worked for them. Bringing together a rich and innovative selection of ideas for adoption and fostering practice across the disciplines, this book will be a valuable resource for all involved in supporting substitute families.
This book has contributions, largely related to group analysis, from an international selection of well-known group analysts, psychologists, psychiatrists and academics. There is a very clear overview and précis of Bions's thoughts by James Grotstein followed by ten chapters each developing an aspect of Bion's ideas and work'. – Journal of Analytical Psychology 'Intended to deepen understanding of Bion's significant contributions in addition to assisting practitioners in the field of group analysis, these volumes constitute an impressive tribute to Bion, his work, and its current and future applications.' – Hamilton Alumni Review The enduring influence of Bion's work – the many rich applications of his ideas to group psychology, organizational dynamics and group therapy in the present day and looking to the future – is the central theme of this book. Chapters by distinguished international contributors from the fields of psychoanalysis, group analysis, management consultancy and social science cover work with large groups, Bion and the Tavistock conferences, and his ideas about thinking and learning, dreams and mentality. They clearly demonstrate Bion's originality and passion as he sought the distinctive essence of psychoanalytic learning and how such a pursuit and such learning can be shared and advanced. This is a collection of original and insightful papers which, along with its companion volume Building on Bion: Roots, deepens understanding of Bion's contributions to theory and practice, and is invaluable to those who work with groups, in both therapeutic and management contexts.
Two volumes of original papers by leading thinkers and practitioners of group therapy… The diverse collection that has informed and stimulated my thinking.' – International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 'The concepts that I liked were about the truth, the unknowable and unknown, and the functions he devised to communicate what is going on in the patients' world to other psychoanalyst. I am glad that I read these books with their wide range of ideas and I have gained insights which will make me more aware in my psychodrama practice.' – British Journal of Psychodrama. 'The book begins with a wonderful introduction by James Grotstien, a theorist whose grasp of Bion is enriched by his own formidable ideas. He sets the stage for what's to follow, toucing on Bion's groundbreaking work with groups, his formalizing of psychotic experience and several key concepts, like Bion's elaboration on the concept of projective identification. Grotstien's prose is remarkable. He conveys ideas about the most complex internal states with a clarity and reach that is unparalled, even by Bion himself. This is without a doubt a richly rewarding and ultimately exhausting text.' – www.mentalhelp.net This stimulating collection of papers by distinguished international contributors from the fields of psychoanalysis, group analysis, management consultancy and social science explores formative influences affecting Bion's emotional and intellectual development. The authors revisit in depth the origins of Bion's ideas, setting them in the context of his World War I experiences, his contact with Trotter, and his later work with the Tavistock Clinic and psychoanalysis. Chapters discuss the roots of his epistemology, re-examining and extending basic assumption theory; links between Bion and Foulkes; group mentality and Bion in Italy. Through these the spirit and shape of his work can be discovered by those new to Bion, and rediscovered by those who feel well acquainted with him. This is a collection of original and insightful papers which, along with its companion volume Building on Bion: Branches, will not only deepen understanding of Bion's contributions to theory and practice, but will also be invaluable to those who work with groups, in both therapeutic and management contexts.