When did you last have enough free time to carefully create, develop, and test a therapeutic concept or teaching method to improve the help you provide to your patients? With The Therapist’s Notebook, a compilation of original ideas by practicing clinicians, you can tap into the knowledge and experience of seasoned professionals to give your clients tangible, field-tested assignments that will represent their work and progress in therapy. Appropriate for practicing marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, and other therapists of any professional affiliation who deal with children, adolescents, adults, couples, or families, this dynamic handbook provides you with handouts and homework activities that are quick and easy and require little effort or experience to use. The Therapist’s Notebook is a valuable resource for both experienced and novice clinicians. Established clinicians will know how to fit each chapter to a particular clientele, while uninitiated clinicians or trainees will appreciate how the ready-made materials help their clients and spur their own creativity in intervening. You’ll find therapeutic work becomes less stressful and more enjoyable as you learn about helping these populations deal with important issues: Adults—goal setting, boundary issues, life transitions, communication, problemsolving, compulsivity, feelings Couples—trust, infidelity, leisure time, communication, conflict resolution, sexuality, enrichment Families—rules/punishment, decisionmaking, gender roles, chores and responsibilities, communication Children—self-esteem, school problems, social skills, abuse, discipline problems Adolescents—peer pressure, school issues, communication, involvement in therapy, behavior Other—resistant clients, crisis counseling, linking clients with social resources The Therapist’s Notebook gives you a tangible, useful product you can utilize with clients. The book’s compilation of homework, handouts, and activities that have been successfully applied to client populations is valuable not only for therapists’ daily use, but also to illustrate creative, clinically tested interventions to future counselors, therapists, social workers, teachers, school psychologists, and special educators. Particularly useful as an ancillary text in university courses in psychotherapy-related fields, the book’s user-friendly format will enliven practicum courses and ensure heightened student participation. REVIEWS: NOW, HERE'S A RESOURCE THAT WON'T GATHER DUST ON YOUR BOOKSHELF. This nifty notebook is chock full of creative assignments that therapists can give their clients. . . . They learn concrete, field-tested ways to help clients practice communication skills, cope with stress, explore sexuality issues, recreate marriage vows, connect with their children, handle their anger, and much more. There's something here for every client and therapist. -Fred P. Piercy, PhD, Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana INSPIRATION AND UTILITY ABOUND IN THIS RECENT VOLUME. . . . Eighty-three homework ideas and activities for individual adults, couples, families, children, and adolescents have been compiled from experienced therapists all over the world. The format includes detailed explanations followed by examples and contraindications for each idea, making the information easy to access. . . . A necessary addition to any therapist's toolbox -William E. Utesch, PhD, Associate Professor of Counselor Education, Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne Contents About the Editors Contributors Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Section I. Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Individuals The VooDoo Doll Intervention Living a New Story: A Narrative Homework Exercise When “Bad” is Good: Reframing for Success Addressing the Critical and Supportive Voices Through Art Therapy The Toxic Monster Smush `Em The Many Roles People Play Feeling from the Inside Out Objects in the Rearview Mirror Through the Eyes of a Child Assisting Clients in Establishing Personal Boundaries Sports Talk Setting Goals and Developing Action Plans Sculpting for Visual and Kinesthetic Learners Conscientious Activities for Compulsive Clients Breaking the Cycle Between Being Passive and Aggressive The Power of Homework in Survivors’ Groups A “Magic” Aid for Hypnosis and Suggestion in Crisis Management (Walter Hartmann and Gail Golden) Section II. Homework, Handouts, & Activities for Couples Assertiveness Homework for Couples Productive Dialoguing with Couples Constructive Communication The Tug-of-War The 8020 Principal in Marital Therapy A Couple’s Ordeal of Sorrow The Use of Controlled Punishment and Ritual in Couples Therapy The Empathy Expansion Procedure: A Method of Assisting Couples in Healing from Traumatic Incidents Primary Perceptual Modalities in Couples Therapy Imagery Exercises for Couples Feelings Flash Cards Gratitude Lists Rewriting Marriage Vows: Consolidating Gains in Marital Therapy at Termination Recalling the Way We Were Feeding the Relationship by Feeding Each Other Keeping the Honeymoon in the Marriage First Date Recollections and Fantasies with Couples Structured Trial Separation Mate Selection Criteria for Compatibility Couple Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire Sexual Response and Interaction Inventory Using Gender as a Therapeutic Technique: The Gender Assessment Device (GAD) The Intimate Justice Question The Diversity Dilemma Negotiating Drug-Free Activities: An Activity for Couples in Substance Abuse Treatment The “Mrs. [ital] K’negdoMrs. Opposite” Assignment: A Biblical Injunction for Orthodox Jewish Couples and Christian Couples Section III. Homework, Handouts, & Activities for Families Strategies for Building Stronger Families Family Assessment Tool The Therapeutic Journey Good Cops and Bad Cops in Parenting The “Talk About” Game A Box of Tenderness Out of the Middle with a Toss of the Coin The “Oprah” Approach Teamwork Involving Children in Family Therapy: Making Family Movies Videotaped Coaching The Family Constitution Activity The Systemic Wave Letter from the Grave Dealing with a Fire Setter Involving Larger Systems: An Often Forgotten Therapeutic Technique Section IV. Homework, Handouts, & Activities for Children “The Many Sides of Me”: A Storytelling Intervention for Children My Uniqueness My Family in the News The “Key” to Anger Control It’s Okay to Cry Greeting Card Messages: Reading Between the Lines Helpful Homemade Props for Children in Therapy The Puzzling Problem-Solving Activity Prescribing Fluctuations in Developmental Time Divorce and Children: Guidelines for Parents (Mary Anne Armour) Red LightGreen Light: An Intervention for Families with Children Who Have Molested Awards Section V. Homework, Handouts, & Activities for Adolescents Teenage Client’s Favorite Music as an Aid in Therapy “I Am the Expert!” I Wish I Had the Cosby Family Beliefs and Tactics That Encourage Behavior Problems Rewriting Youth Stories: An Activity with Troubled Youth Soap Talk Section VI. Therapist Helpers Assessing Client Risk of Violence Assessing Client Risk of Suicide Client Assessment and Treatment Planning Use of Disclosure Statements in Therapy Index |